UK says there will be justice over Kenyan woman's death
By BBC
Published
1 min read
The body of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found in a septic tank at a hotel in central Kenya in 2012, nearly three months after she had spent an evening partying with soldiers.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says his country "wants to make sure" that the family of a Kenyan woman allegedly killed by a British soldier a decade ago gets justice.
The body of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found in a septic tank at a hotel in central Kenya in 2012, nearly three months after she had spent an evening partying with soldiers.
Last year the UK defence ministry said that it was co-operating with a Kenyan inquiry into the death following allegations of a cover-up.
Mr Cleverly, who was in Nairobi on Wednesday, said Ms Wanjiru’s murder was discussed in his meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto.
“We take our responsibility incredibly seriously to ensure that there is a proper legal process and that any perpetrators are brought to justice and we will continue working closely with the Kenyan government on this,” he said.
Ms Wanjiru, who dropped out of high school and later became a sex worker to look after her baby, was last seen by witnesses on the night of 31 March 2012. She was walking out of a bar in the town of Nanyuki accompanied by two British soldiers.
Kenyan judge Njeri Thuku concluded after an inquest in 2019 that Ms Wanjiru had been murdered by one or two British soldiers.
Mr Cleverly will on Thursday be in Ethiopia.
