Kenyan family protest extradition hearing delay of ex-British soldier accused of murdering kin

What the report says

The family of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman allegedly killed by a former British soldier in 2012, has criticised the postponement of his extradition hearing from next month to May 2027. BBC Africa reports that relatives say they were informed through the UK embassy and have not been given an official explanation for the delay. They described the move as deeply upsetting and said it adds to years of uncertainty.

Robert James Purkiss, a former British soldier, was arrested in the UK in November 2024 and is contesting extradition to Kenya, where he faces a murder allegation. He denies the charge. According to the BBC, the family had already made plans and raised funds to travel for the hearing, which was due in a few weeks before the postponement was announced.

Wanjiru disappeared after an evening at a hotel in Nanyuki, near a British army training camp, and her body was later found in a septic tank. A Kenyan inquest in 2019 found that she had been unlawfully killed by one or two British soldiers. In 2025, a Kenyan court issued an arrest warrant for a British national after prosecutors said they had evidence supporting murder charges. The family says the latest delay risks pushing the case into its 15th year without a trial and has urged the authorities to speed up proceedings.