The niece of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a former British army soldier, is set to visit the United Kingdom to press for the suspect’s extradition to Kenya.
Esther Njoki, 21, a communications student from Nairobi, will meet with UK Defence Secretary John Healey and several Members of Parliament to seek “the justice our family has been denied for 13 years.”
Her visit follows a Kenyan High Court ruling last month that issued an arrest warrant for the British national accused of killing Wanjiru, who was 21 years old and the mother of a five-month-old baby when she was murdered in Nanyuki in 2012. Her body was later discovered in a hotel septic tank near a British Army Training Unit (BATUK) camp.
Speaking to the BBC before her trip on Sunday, October 12, 2025, Njoki expressed frustration at the “years of trauma” her family has endured due to the slow pace of justice.
“The UK has been too slow in acting. Our whole family has experienced years of trauma made worse by the failure to act by both the Kenyan and British authorities,” she said.
Njoki said her aunt’s death had long been ignored because she was “a poor Kenyan woman,” but vowed to keep fighting alongside human rights and feminist groups that have campaigned for accountability.
Long Road to Justice
In 2018, after years of pressure from the family and activists, an inquest was opened into Wanjiru’s death. A year later, in 2019, the report concluded that one or two British soldiers unlawfully killed her, revealing that she had suffered multiple stab wounds.
A 2021 Sunday Times investigation later reported that a British soldier had confessed to colleagues about killing Wanjiru but had since left the army and continued living in the UK.
In 2024, the British Army launched an internal review into soldiers’ conduct in Kenya, uncovering 35 cases of sexual exploitation and abuse involving local women — nine of which occurred after the army formally banned such behaviour in 2022.
Njoki said she would press Secretary Healey on what safeguards the British Army intends to implement to protect vulnerable local women living near foreign military bases.
The Extradition Process
According to extradition expert Ben Keith, the UK and Kenya have a long-standing but seldom-used extradition treaty, meaning there is a “strong prospect” of extradition — though the process could be lengthy and complex.
The request must be certified by the UK Home Secretary, reviewed by a judge, and finally approved by the Home Secretary again before any extradition can proceed. Past extraditions, such as those of Gilbert Deya (2017) and Yagnesh Devani (2024), show the process can take years.
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson reaffirmed the government’s position, stating:
“Our thoughts remain with the family of Agnes Wanjiru, and we remain absolutely committed to helping them secure justice.”
