The murder of Agnes Wanjiru has haunted Kenya for more than a decade. Her brutal death in Nanyuki in 2012, where her body was found dumped in a septic tank, has remained an open wound for her family and community.
For years, questions surrounded the British Army Training Unit in Kenya and the soldier last seen with her. Now, after years of silence, the accused has finally been named. The man, once a medic in the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment, is Robert James Purkiss.
Murder of Agnes Wanjiru and the Decade of Silence
Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother, was last seen alive in March 2012. Witnesses said she left a bar in Nanyuki with a British soldier attached to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). Weeks later, her body was found inside a septic tank, bearing multiple stab wounds.
From the very beginning, suspicion fell on British soldiers. But instead of quick justice, the case stalled for years. A 2019 Kenyan inquiry concluded that Wanjiru had been killed by one or several British soldiers. In 2021, a serving soldier broke ranks and revealed that a fellow officer had confessed to the killing, even showing him where he dumped the body.
The man at the center of these revelations remained unnamed in public records. For over a decade, Wanjiru’s family was left in pain while UK and Kenyan authorities appeared unwilling to act.
The silence has now been broken. The accused is 38-year-old Robert James Purkiss, a father of two from Greater Manchester who now works as a home computer support technician near Salisbury in the UK.
The Life and Military Career of Robert Purkiss
Purkiss joined the British Army in 2006 and trained as a medic in the Duke of Lancaster’s regiment. This regiment is a traditional British Army unit that mainly recruits from the northwest of England.
He served in the Queen’s army for 10 years, completing multiple tours in Afghanistan. His record shows deployments to several bases, including Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, Tidworth Barracks in Wiltshire, and Weeton Barracks in Blackpool. In 2012, during his service in BATUK, the life of Agnes Wanjiru was violently cut short.
The soldier was known among peers and was deployed for warm-weather training in Kenya, where British troops regularly rotated. But his return home was not the end of the story. Even after he left the military, questions about Wanjiru’s death followed him.
Today, he lives a quiet life in England, raising two children and working in IT support. Yet the past he left behind has now caught up with him.
The New Turn in the Fight for Justice
This year, the case reached a new level. In April, UK Defence Secretary John Healey personally met Wanjiru’s family in Kenya. He promised that the UK government would not shield the suspect and would cooperate fully in the pursuit of justice.
Then, in September, High Court Judge Alexander Muteti in Kenya issued an arrest warrant for Purkiss after he failed to attend court sessions. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed that Purkiss had been charged with murder.
Kenyan prosecutors have now initiated extradition proceedings. If successful, Purkiss would be the first British serviceman extradited to face murder charges in a foreign country involving a civilian. This move could reshape how crimes involving foreign soldiers are handled in Kenya and beyond.
Judge Muteti has set the next mention of the case for October 21, 2025, to confirm compliance with extradition orders. For Wanjiru’s family, this date could finally mark the beginning of justice after 13 years of waiting.
Why the Murder of Agnes Wanjiru Matters
The murder of Agnes Wanjiru is more than a single tragedy. It symbolizes the long history of strained relations between foreign military presence and local communities. For Nanyuki residents, it was a reminder of the imbalance of power between ordinary Kenyans and foreign troops who often act with impunity.
For Wanjiru’s family, it has been 13 years of grief and unanswered questions. Her daughter grew up without a mother, while her relatives fought a slow and painful battle for accountability.
The naming of Robert James Purkiss has brought renewed hope. But justice is not yet guaranteed. It depends on whether the UK government will allow one of its own to face trial in a Kenyan courtroom.
