Updated October 24th, 2021 at 18:32 IST

UK: Army bosses accused of 'covering up' murder of Kenyan sex worker by their soldier

Almost 12 years after a 21-year-old Kenyan woman was stabbed brutally by a British soldier, finally got justice after her killer accepted the crime.

Reported by: Ajeet Kumar
Image: Unsplash/ANI | Image:self
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Almost 12 years after a 21-year-old Kenyan woman was stabbed brutally by a British soldier, finally got justice after her killer accepted the crime, Sputnik reported on Sunday. According to the reports, the 21-year-old Kenyan woman identified as Agnes Wanjiru, a sex worker disappeared in March 2012. Her body was reportedly found near a septic tank of the Lions Court Inn in Nanyuki, close to a UK army camp. The report said that her killing was followed by a group of British soldiers holding a party night. Earlier, it was speculated she died due to suffocation, however, a post-mortem report revealed she'd died as a result of stab wounds to her chest and abdomen.

Top UK military officials accused of covering murder of Kenyan woman

Further, the report accused UK military officials of covering up the murder of the mother of a 5-year-old girl, who was murdered by their soldier, who came to Kenya to attend a military training exercise in 2012. Citing the reports of The Sunday Times, the Russian News Agency said that the identity of the killer was widely circulated in the media on the year of incidence. The media reports claimed that his fellow soldiers reported the killing of Agnes Wanjiru. However, they also claimed their higher authorities had directed them to 'keep their mouth shut'. As per the media reports, her body was discovered in a naked condition at the Lions Court Inn in Nanyuki nearly two months after she was killed brutally by a British soldier. 

"The alleged assassin from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, referred to as "Soldier X," is said to have been named by at least five different soldiers. One of them, known as "Solider Y", emphasised he informed the concerned authority about the alleged killing after a visibly distressed Soldier X had told them: "Help me, help me…. I’ve killed her, Sputnik reported. 

Accused refused to accept his crime in front of Army bosses

According to the news agency, the killer took his colleagues to the septic tank, where he dumped her body and showed the brutal condition of the woman lying lifeless in the gutter. "I looked in and I just remember seeing her in there. My heart sank. My mind just went blank. The only thing I could say to him was, I will never forgive you for this," Sputnik quoted Soldier 'Y' as saying.
Further, the revealer of the case said that he informed his higher authorities and tried to convince the killer to confess his crime in front of the officers, but, the accused refused to accept his crime. Another purported witness, 'Soldier Z', said Soldier X told his fellow he had killed Agnes by accident during sex by choking her, reported Sputnik. 

UK Defence Ministry is currently in discussions with Kenyan authorities

Despite several pieces of evidence and witnesses the top officials of the British army decided to keep their mouths shut. 
According to The Sunday Times, the Kenyan authorities send a formal notice to the British army to question the nine soldiers who were landed in Kenya for a military exercise. However, the request appeared to have gone missing. "In 2012, Special Investigation Branch carried out initial enquiries in Kenya, including providing information about British personnel to the Kenyan Police. No further requests were received at that time… Following the conclusion of a Kenyan inquest in 2019, we are aware that the Kenyan authorities are looking into this incident. The jurisdiction for this investigation rests with the Kenyan police, and we are currently in discussions with the Kenyan authorities to determine what support is needed," Sputnik quoted the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) as saying in a statement. Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey accepted the reports and said it showed "grave failings by the British military exposed in this case". 

(Image: Unsplash/ANI)

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Published October 24th, 2021 at 18:38 IST