A former British soldier was arrested in London in connection with the 2012 murder of a Kenyan woman near a United Kingdom army training camp in Nanyuki.
According to an official statement from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Robert James Purkiss, 38, was apprehended by specialist officers from the agency’s National Extradition Unit in Tidworth, Wiltshire, on 6 November.
“A former British soldier wanted by Kenyan authorities in connection with an alleged murder in 2012 has been arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA),” read part of the NCA statement.
Former British Soldier Arrested
“He was apprehended in Tidworth, Wiltshire, on 6 November by specialist officers from the NCA’s National Extradition Unit after a warrant was issued in September.”
His arrest follows an extradition warrant issued by Kenyan authorities in September 2025.
Purkiss appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 7, where extradition proceedings formally began. The court ordered that he remain in custody until his next appearance scheduled for 14 November.
“He was remanded into custody until his next appearance at the same court on 14 November,” NCA confirmed.
Kenya’s Earlier Request for Extradition of the British Suspect
Kenya had formally requested the extradition of the suspect in September after issuing an arrest warrant over the killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in a septic tank at the Lion’s Court Hotel in Nanyuki in 2012.
She had last been seen at the hotel with a group of British soldiers stationed at a nearby training camp.
A Kenyan inquest in 2019 concluded that Wanjiru had been murdered by one or more of the soldiers, prompting renewed calls for accountability.
The findings stated that she was beaten, stabbed, and likely still alive when she was dumped into the tank.
However, delays in prosecution and diplomatic hurdles have prolonged the case, leading to public outrage in Kenya.
Family Travels to the UK to Demand Extradition
On October 11, Agnes Wanjiru’s family representative traveled to the United Kingdom to meet senior government officials, including the Defence Secretary and Members of Parliament, in a renewed push for the suspect’s extradition to Kenya.
The family of the victim also planned to sue the Ministry of Defence to demand answers over her death.
Also Read: UK MP John Healey Meets Family of Agnes Wanjiru, Killed by British Soldiers
Speaking before her arrival in the UK, Agnes Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njoki, a 21-year-old communications student from Nairobi, told the BBC she was determined to ensure accountability.
“The UK has been too slow in acting; our whole family has experienced years of trauma, which has been made worse by the continued failure to act by the authorities – both Kenyan and British,” Ms Njoki said.
Njoki added that Agnes, who was her aunt, was a “poor Kenyan woman” whose case was ignored for years.
Despite the setbacks, the family, supported by human rights groups and feminist organisations, continued to push for action.
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