Kenyan Family Protests Delay in Extradition Hearing of Ex-British Soldier Accused of Murder

The family of a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a British soldier 14 years ago has expressed outrage after an extradition hearing for the accused was postponed until May 2027.

Relatives of Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was found in a septic tank near a British army training camp in Kenya in 2012, described the delay as "completely unacceptable" and accused authorities of failing to keep them informed.

The hearing for Robert James Purkiss, a former British soldier accused of killing the 21-year-old mother, had been due next month. The family said it had now been postponed until May 2027. Purkiss was arrested in the UK last November and is fighting extradition to Kenya to face trial for murder. He denies the allegation.

Wanjiru's niece, Esther Njoki, said the family learnt of the postponement through the UK embassy and had received no official explanation.

"We have exercised patience and endured uncertainty for years, but our patience is now being taken advantage of," she said.

"Agnes deserves justice. Her daughter Stacy deserves answers about what happened. And as a family, we deserve to be treated with dignity and kept informed about proceedings that profoundly affect our lives."

The family said it had already raised money and made arrangements to travel to the UK for the hearing, which was due to take place in three weeks.

Wanjiru disappeared in March 2012 after spending an evening at a hotel in Nanyuki, about 200km north of Nairobi, where British soldiers were stationed for training. Her body was found nearly three months later in a septic tank at the hotel.