13 years later, DPP secures arrest warrant for Briton linked murder of Nanyuki hairdresser

BY ERIC ABUGA

If he is extradited, it is believed it will be the first time a current or former British soldier has ever been extradited to another country to face trial for the murder of a civilian.

Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old freelance hairdresser and mother to a four-month-old infant, disappeared on March 31, 2012, after being last seen at Lions Court Lodge in Nanyuki.

13 years later, the pursuit of justice for the late Wanjiru, a young mother brutally killed in Nanyuki, has gained fresh momentum after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) successfully obtained a warrant of arrest against a British national suspected of the crime.

The DPP informed the High Court that evidence gathered links the suspect, a United Kingdom citizen, to the murder. 

The DPP then sought a warrant of arrest to pave the way for extradition proceedings.

Late Agnes Wanjiru (Courtesy)

Justice Alexander Muteti granted the request, ruling that murder is an extraditable offence and that there was probable cause to institute murder charges against the accused.

Following the ruling, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), represented by Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Vincent Monda, OGW, and Head of the Homicide Division Gikui Gichuhi, confirmed that extradition proceedings would now be initiated to ensure the suspect is brought before a Kenyan court.

Ms Wanjiru's body was later discovered in a septic tank at the same lodge on June 5, 2012, sparking national outrage and calls for accountability.

She worked as a hairdresser, and sometimes did some night duties for extra money, had a daughter, Stacey, who was just five months old at the time that she disappeared.

Police in Kenya reopened the case into Ms Wanjiru's murder in 2021 after her family said they were upset no one had been convicted of the killing.

The matter will return to court on 21st October 2025, for further directions.