The Defence Secretary, John Healey, has today met with the family of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman who was allegedly murdered by British soldiers more than 13 years ago.
The meeting comes as the Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions has today confirmed Agnes' case has been referred to senior prosecutors.
Agnes, a 21-year-old mother who lived near the Nanyuki base of BATUK, the British Army Unit in Kenya, was allegedly murdered by British soldiers more than 13 years ago.
Her body was found in a septic tank at a hotel in the town of Nanyuki in central Kenya nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening with British soldiers.
To date, no one has been charged or prosecuted in relation to her death despite a 2018 inquest undertaken in Kenya finding that Agnes was murdered by British soldiers.
The Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions has referred matters to senior prosecutors who will now conduct a comprehensive review of the case.
Leigh Day represents the family of Agnes Wanjiru who have been looking for answers from the Ministry of Defence for many years.
The family of Agnes Wanjiru said:
"We are grateful to the Secretary of State for Defence for meeting with us and hope that this will mark the beginning of the UK government and Ministry of Defence taking action to ensure that what happened to Agnes is properly investigated and can never happen again.
"Agnes' death has had a profound and devastating impact on our family. It was not only the shock of losing Agnes at such a young age, but also the horrific circumstances in which her body was found and all the trauma and struggle our family has been put through in trying to seek justice and accountability for her death.
"We wish to see swift progress now that Agnes' case has been referred to prosecutors and hope that justice can finally be delivered for our beloved Agnes."
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Tessa Gregory, Partner at law firm Leigh Day who represents the family said:
"There have been such significant delays in concluding the Kenyan criminal investigation that our client has all but lost faith in the process and she calls upon the UK government to do everything in its power to ensure that there are no further delays.
"The family are also concerned about the knock-on effects the delays in the Kenyan criminal investigation have had on the UK government's own investigation into the British army's role and alleged cover up of Agnes' death. They do not understand how the Secretary of State can be sure that something like this will not happen again when steps have not yet been taken to investigate what has gone so terribly wrong. The family expect the UK Government to act now to ensure justice and accountability for Agnes' death."
