A Kenyan high court has ordered the arrest of a British national on charges of murdering a local woman near a British army training ground in central Kenya 13 years ago, court officials said Tuesday.
The body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru was found in a septic tank in April 2012 in Nanyuki, north of Mt. Kenya, weeks after witnesses said she was seen leaving a bar with British soldiers.
Monday's court ruling brought renewed attention to the case, and Wanjiru's family told The Associated Press on Tuesday they hoped to get justice after waiting “too long.”
“While this is progress, it is not justice yet,” family spokesperson Esther Muchiri said.
In April, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey met Wanjiru’s relatives and vowed to “help the family secure the justice they deserve," and the British High Commission in Kenya on Tuesday reiterated that commitment.
Wanjiru’s daughter, who was five-months old when her mother disappeared and is now 13, has remained in the care of her grandmother and aunt.
Britain has roughly 200 military personnel permanently based in Kenya. Most of them currently are training more than 1,000 Kenyan soldiers a year before their deployment to neighboring Somalia to combat al-Qaida’s longtime East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab.
The British government invests more than 1.1 billion Kenyan shillings ($9.6 million) every year into the partnership. Kenyans have in the past raised concerns about the way British forces treat local residents and the environment in their training ground.
