Agnes Wanjiru's final journey from dance floor to a septic tank

Agnes Wanjiku, 21, may have been placed in a septic tank while still alive. [Courtesy]

Members of the National Assembly were yesterday treated to a harrowing tale of the slow yet painful death of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiku in the arms of a British Soldier.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti yesterday painted a grim picture of the gruesome killing of the mother of one, saying she may have been placed in a septic tank while still alive.

Kinoti was appearing before the departmental committee on Defence and Foreign Relations to give an update on the investigations into the disappearance and subsequent murder of Wanjiku

He said on the 31st March 2012, Ms Wanjiku went out with her two friends to have a good time at the Lions Court Lodge in Nanyuki town. Just like any other weekend, there were several revelers at the hotel who had also gone to unwind, among them the six British Army Soldiers (BAS). 

While seated at the bar area, Wanjiku struck luck when she captured the attention of one of the soldiers who was in uniform. This luck would lead to a chain of events that would leave her dead.

According to the account given to the MPs, the soldier approached her, engaged her a little and sought her hand to the dance floor. Clueless, Wanjiku started jamming to the loud music, but also counting hours to her end. All along, her friends were watching over her. At round 2am, however, one of her friends stepped out of the bar to catch some fresh air, leaving her in the arms of the soldier.

Shortly thereafter, she saw Wanjiku and her newfound friend moving towards the guest room’s direction within the precincts of the hotel. But before that, Wanjiku engaged her in a small chit chat before disappearing towards the room areas.

This would be the last time Wanjiku would be seen again alive. The two friends who stayed behind at the hotel continued having fun and once they saw time was running out and Wanjiku had not returned,  they decided to take their leave and exit the hotel

According to them, they decided to let their “friend continue having a good time with the soldier”

Agnes Wanjiku went out with her two friends to have a good time at the Lions Court Lodge in Nanyuki town. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

The next morning the friends learnt that Wanjiku had not returned home which was unusual since at the time she had a five-month-old infant. Alarmed, they joined her sister in search of their beloved friend. They then decided to go to the hotel where she was last seen, but she was nowhere to be found.

The family filed for a missing person at the police station. On 5th June 2012, two months after her disappearance, a body was retrieved at the Lions Court Lodge. Kinoti told members that a manager at the hotel instructed a staff member at the maintenance section to clean all the manholes and waste disposal pipes since the compound started having a foul smell.

It was in the process of cleaning that the staff lifted the grate of the septic tank and saw human legs floating on the sewage with the rest of the body submerged. He immediately alerted his manager who immediately called the police who in turn retrieved the body of a female adult. The DCI said that Wanjiku’s body was only dressed in a bra and had a packet of unused condoms tucked in the bra.

The body was then moved to Nanyuki teaching and referral hospital mortuary where it was identified to be that of Wanjiku. A few days later on June 13, 2012, an autopsy was conducted by Dr Obiero OKoth who opined that the cause of death of Wanjiku was due to chest and abdominal injuries.

He also noted that Wanjiku could have been placed in the septic tank alive as the injuries she sustained were not fatal enough to kill her. By this time, the last person to be seen alive with her, the soldier, had already left the country.

Kinoti disclosed that the initial investigator had written to the then Batuk camp manager requesting to be provided with more details of the soldiers as per the hotel list. Eight names were submitted.

Kinoti also revealed that through cooperation, the Royal Military police have so far provided the investigators with six names of soldiers who they believe have the information to link and identify the one who may have killed Wanjiku.