A Kenyan High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering a 21-year-old woman more than a decade ago.
Agnes Wanjiru was killed in March 2012 and her body later found in a septic tank of a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening partying with British soldiers.
Justice Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to request that the suspect appear before a Kenyan court for trial.
The lawyer representing Ms Wanjiru’s family, Kamau Mbiu, told the BBC the ruling paved the way for proceedings to start for the suspect’s extradition from the UK.
“We welcome it, but we urge greater transparency, as this remains a matter of public interest,” Mr Mbiu said.
The judge directed that the identities of the accused and witnesses not be published, saying this was necessary in order to protect the integrity of the trial.
In a statement, a UK government spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family of Agnes Wanjiru and we remain absolutely committed to helping them secure justice.”
The spokesperson said no further comment would be made at this stage because of the ongoing legal proceedings.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has previously said it is co-operating with the Kenyan investigation into the case, which has caused outrage in the East African nation.
The family of Ms Wanjiru, who left behind a young daughter, have long been fighting for justice.
They live in Nanyuki, which is close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) – some 200km (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.
Ms Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njoki, told the BBC that the warrant was “a bitter-sweet moment”, noting the extradition process could take time.
The prosecution told the court that witnesses currently based in the UK would be made available for the trial, ensuring that it could proceed.
The family’s UK-based legal representative, Tessa Gregory, said it now called “upon the British government to do everything in its power to ensure that the accused can be extradited and face trial in Kenya as soon as possible”.
