By Andrew Kariuki
The family of Late Agnes Wanjiru has welcomed the arrest of UK soldier Robert James Purkiss, describing it as the most significant step they have seen since the 2012 killing.
They said the news brought renewed hope after years of waiting for action on a case that has long stalled.
The daughter to the Late Wanjiru expressed relief, saying, “At least now we are seeing progress, and we are positive that finally well be served justice after waiting for that long. We are pleased with how things are going on now.”
Their lawyer echoed the family’s sentiments, noting that while the road ahead remains long, the arrest marks a much needed turning point in the case.
“The long hand of justice has finally caught up with the suspect and this makes the saying that one can run but can not hide a reality. The wheels of justice are now moving properly ” the lawyer said.
In court, prosecutors informed High Court Judge Alexander Muteti that Purkiss is currently in custody in the United Kingdom.
They confirmed that British judges will convene on December 9 for case management, a key phase in determining how the extradition will proceed.
Justice Muteti allowed the prosecution’s request and directed that the matter be mentioned again on December 16 for an update on the outcome of the UK proceedings and the next steps toward Purkiss’s transfer to Kenya.
Purkiss, now 38, is wanted in Kenya for the alleged killing of twenty one year old Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki, a town that hosts a British army training camp. Wanjiru disappeared in March 2012.
Two months later her body was recovered from a septic tank behind the Lions Court hotel. Her family provided the photograph later released to the media.
An inquest in 2018 concluded that Wanjiru had been murdered by British soldiers. Witnesses told the inquiry that she was last seen walking out of the hotel with a soldier.
Her body was found half naked and the coroner stated that she had suffered a violent attack.
Purkiss has never been charged in the United Kingdom but has long been linked to the case through witness accounts.
Earlier this month Westminster magistrates court heard that he “vehemently denies” any involvement and that the Ministry of Defence is contributing to his legal costs.
The court was told that a colleague claimed to have found him crying outside the hotel on the night Wanjiru disappeared.
When asked why, Purkiss is said to have replied that he had killed her.
Another colleague told investigators that Purkiss had responded with a smiling face emoji when a picture of the hotel was shared in 2018 with a comment referencing the septic tank.
Purkiss, who is being held on remand after being refused bail, has rejected all the allegations.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he maintained that he never met Wanjiru and said he would never joke about such an offence. He insisted that he was on military duty in Canada when he first heard of the incident.
He said he had no memory of booking or occupying the hotel room in question and argued that as a medic he would have known that a stabbing of the nature described would have left blood on his clothes.
None was found. He stated that he understood the pain of Wanjiru’s family but insisted he was not responsible for her death.
