Niece of Kenyan woman allegedly killed by British soldier calls for extradition of suspect | UK | News
The nephew of a Kenyan woman who was allegedly killed by a British soldier serving in the country demanded the extradition of the accused man. Esther Njoki, 21, was just eight years old when her “outgoing” aunt, Agnes Wanjiru, was found in a septic tank near a military base in the town of Nanyuki in 2012, two months after she disappeared.
Speaking a day after meeting Defense Minister John Healey to press the extradition request, Ms Njoki told the Daily Express the importance of ensuring justice in her home country. “This is important because we have been suffering as a family for 13 years. The law applies to everyone. If you break the law you have to face the consequences and by doing so you have to be taken to the place where you committed the crime.”
“It also means that he learns a lesson and other people learn a lesson through him.”
Tuesday’s meeting was Mr Healey’s second meeting with Ms Njoki in Kenya earlier this year.
He said the government reiterated its “steadfast support for her family’s long and painful fight for justice” and called her “an outstanding spokesperson for her family and for women subjected to violence.”
Mr Healey said: “Our government will continue to do everything we can to support the Kenyan investigation, find a resolution to this case and ultimately bring peace to Esther and her grieving family.”
Ms Njoki said the loss of her aunt “left a lasting scar on my family” and the “years of silence, disappointment and trauma we have endured since trying to achieve justice”.
Ms Wanjiru’s alleged killer was identified as former soldier Robert James Purkiss in September this year, and a warrant was issued for his arrest in Kenya.
Purkiss denies the accusation.
Ms Wanjiru was working as a sex worker at the time of her disappearance; this was a practice that had become common in towns surrounding military bases for centuries.
The British Army has taken active steps in recent years to prevent soldiers engaging in prostitution while serving overseas, but Ms Njoki believes the practice still persists.
He added: “Of course it still happens, I have observed it.
“All they’ve done is change the way they solicit sex; these days there’s a group of girls and then they’re taken to a hostel, they’ve got mobile apps, so nothing’s changed.”
Ms Njoki called on the British Army to stop training in Kenya; regiments cycle regularly to acclimate themselves to working in hot and humid environments.
According to Ms Njoki, their presence is a continuation of colonialism, despite the significant sums paid to the Kenyan Government to allow them to use sites across the country for large-scale exercises.
He said: “I don’t understand why they are in Kenya in the first place, they already have foreign bases and now we are not in colonial times and Kenya has had sovereignty for over 60 years, I don’t know why they are training in Kenya in the first place.”
British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) is the British Army’s largest troop unit in Africa.
The British Army regularly conducts joint training with the Kenyan Defense Force and has recently trained soldiers in best practices to equip them in their fight against Al Shabab on the Somali border.
It also runs outreach and engagement programs, such as supporting the reforestation of forestry and temporary medical clinics in remote areas that treat thousands of patients in areas where regular access to healthcare is limited.
He said: “I don’t understand why they are in Kenya in the first place, they already have foreign bases and now we are not in colonial times and Kenya has had sovereignty for over 60 years, I don’t know why they are training in Kenya in the first place.”
