Kenyan family protest murder suspect extradition delay
Agnes Wanjiru's relatives say postponement until May 2027 is unacceptable and they were not informed.
The family of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered 14 years ago, protested the postponement of an extradition hearing for former British soldier Robert James Purkiss. The hearing, originally scheduled for next month, has been delayed until May 2027. Purkiss, accused of killing the 21-year-old mother in 2012, denies the allegation and is fighting extradition from the UK to Kenya.
Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njoki, stated the family learned of the delay through the UK embassy and received no official explanation, calling it an exploitation of their patience. The family had already made travel arrangements for the hearing, which would have marked the case entering its 15th year without a trial. A UK court is expected to announce the reasons for the delay next week.
Agnes Wanjiru disappeared in March 2012 near a British army training camp in Nanyuki, about 200km north of Nairobi, and her body was found nearly three months later in a septic tank. A Kenyan inquest concluded in 2019 that she was unlawfully killed by British soldiers. In September 2025, a Kenyan High Court issued an arrest warrant for a British national. The then British Defence Secretary John Healey had pledged government support for justice during a visit to Kenya last year.
Why it mattersThe family of Agnes Wanjiru is seeking justice for her alleged murder by a former British soldier, and the delay in extradition proceedings impacts their pursuit of answers.