Case of Nyanyuki sex worker killed by British soldier reopened

• Nov 1, 2021

The Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to reopen the case into the murder of Agnes Wanjiru by a British soldier in Nanyuki in 2012.

Speaking during his weekly Twitter engagement with Kenyans #EngageTheIG, the police boss at the same time urged the UK government to cooperate with the local investigating teams to ensure justice is finally served to the family of the deceased.

The Kenyan police boss called for thorough investigations for a watertight case, with sufficient evidence to support murder charges.

“I have directed the DCI to re-open the case and compile all the available evidence and witness accounts and ensure the case is concluded before a court of law. I am also urging the UK government to collaborate with us to conclude the case and administer justice,” said Mutyambai.

The UK government through the High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott has already assured of its commitment to work with the local authorities to establish the facts surrounding the killing of the 21-year-old mother of one.

Senior military officers from the UK would be coming to Kenya in the coming weeks to discuss the incident and ‘UK support to the Kenyan investigation.’

Kenyans were appalled by the latest revelations in a section of the media that some of the soldiers laughed and joked on Facebook about the murder. They took to social media to demand justice for Wanjiru and fortunately their pleas prompted the IG to take action.

Wanjiru, a sex worker was last seen by witnesses on the night of 31 March 2012 walking out of a Nanyuki bar accompanied by two British soldiers. Her body was later discovered behind a room where the soldiers had stayed, with missing body parts and a stabbing injury.

The incident came into the limelight after the Sunday Times last month reported that a soldier accused of the murder has been named by his comrades after he allegedly confessed to the killing and that another soldier reported the killing to senior officers at the time, but the military took no action.

According to Marriott, the UK’s Special Investigation Branch carried out initial enquiries in Kenya In 2012, including providing information about British personnel to Kenyan police. She however disclosed that no further requests were received at that time.

“Following the conclusion of a Kenyan inquest in 2019, we understand that the Kenyan authorities are looking into the murder. We will support that Kenyan police investigation,” she said