Kenyan court orders the arrest of a British national accused of murder

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – 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.

The court in Nairobi on Monday ordered the arrest of the suspect, who is in Britain, but said that the suspect’s name could not be published, without giving a reason for those rare instructions. The names of murder suspects normally can be published in Kenya.

Prosecutors said in a statement that an extradition request would now be launched.

The ruling brought renewed attention to the case, and Wanjiru’s family told The Associated Press on Tuesday said they have waited “too long” for justice but hope that it would now arrive.

“While this is progress, it is not justice yet,” family spokesperson Esther Muchiri said.

Muchiri also questioned the court’s order not to allow the name of the suspect to become public. “After 13 years why are they still hiding his identity?” she asked.

In April, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey had met with Wanjiru’s relatives and vowed to “help the family secure the justice they deserve.”

The British High Commission in Kenya on Tuesday reiterated that commitment, but declined to confirm or deny whether there had been an extradition request for the suspect.

Wanjiru’s daughter, who was 5 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.