The body of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found in a septic tank close to a British Army base in Nanyuki, Kenya, two months after she disappeared.
The niece of a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a former British army soldier said she wanted assurance from the Defence Secretary that the suspect will be extradited.
The body of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found in a septic tank close to a British Army base in the town of Nanyuki, two months after she disappeared in March 2012.
Her alleged murderer was named in September this year as Robert James Purkiss.
A warrant was issued for Purkiss’s arrest the same month, and the Sunday Times reported that the court heard Kenyan authorities would seek his extradition.
Ms Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njoki, is visiting the UK this week and will be meeting Defence Secretary John Healey on Tuesday to discuss the investigation.
Ms Njoki said she wanted to be “assured” by Mr Healey that Purkiss “will be extradited in Kenya to face the law there” and that “the internal systems of the Army will completely change”.
Speaking in London on Monday, Ms Njoki, 21, told the PA news agency: “I’m also here to demand compensation for the sake of Agnes’s daughter – these issues have taken a toll on her mentally.”
Ms Njoki said British soldiers had been protected by “the internal systems of the Army”.
She added: “This issue of Agnes should serve as a lesson to other soldiers who think of coming to Kenya and committing crimes.
“You should face the law, despite the status of our prisons.”
Asked about the culpability of the British Army, Ms Njoki said: “They could have done something, but they failed. So I need to hold them accountable because I believe they can change.
“Or else, if they don’t want to leave Kenya, they ban the boys from going out.
“The Agnes case, it’s high profile and controversial, but there are also other stories in Kenya, and they always make you break down.”
Ms Njoki said Agnes’s daughter Stacey, 13, had kept her “spirits high”, adding: “Agnes took good care of me and that’s why I’m here.
“And also for her daughter, of course. It makes me feel sad, and I always put myself in her shoes – how she feels like knowing very well she didn’t even get a chance to see her mum.
“She doesn’t know who her mum is. She only learns about her mum through the stories that we give.
“Agnes was an extrovert. She was jovial. She used to smile every time. She was hard-working. I think now we are seeing Agnes through her daughter.
“We really miss her presence, but it’s unfortunate how her life was shortened.”
Asked whether the British Army base in Nanyuki should remain open, Ms Njoki said: “I don’t know why they are training in our country.
“It’s high time now for the British to let us go. We are now a sovereign country for more than 60 years. They should bring their boys home.”
After meeting members of Ms Wanjiru’s family in April, Mr Healey emphasised his “determination to see a resolution” to the case and the UK’s “full support” for the investigation.
An inquest found Ms Wanjiru was unlawfully killed and a post-mortem examination concluded she had died as a result of stab wounds to her chest and abdomen.
There was also evidence that she had been beaten, but because of the condition of her body, it was unclear whether she had been sexually assaulted.
Court documents from the country, first reported by the Sunday Times, show Purkiss is accused of a single count of murdering Ms Wanjiru on the night of March 31, 2012.
The newspaper said Purkiss, from Greater Manchester, previously served as a medic with the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, including on tours of Afghanistan.
