Kenyan lawmakers accuse British army of murder, sexual assault, torture
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Ms Rose Wanjiru (left) holds a photo of her sister, Agnes, who was allegedly murdered by a British soldier in March 2012.
PHOTO: AFP
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NAIROBI – Soldiers from the British Army allegedly committed crimes, including rape, sexual assault and murder, while training in Kenya, according to a parliamentary probe in the East African nation.
The allegations risk straining military ties between Kenya and its former colonial ruler, after a high-profile murder case highlighted tensions in recent months. Kenya is a key security partner in Africa for Britain and other Western nations.
The report accused the British Army Training Unit Kenya, or Batuk, of human rights violations, including torture, harassment, unlawful detention and forced evictions of Kenyans near its training camp in Nanyuki, about 150km north of the capital, Nairobi. It cited incidents dating as far back as the 1990s.
“The inquiry further uncovered a disturbing trend of sexual misconduct by Batuk personnel, marked by rape, assault and abandonment of children fathered by soldiers,” the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations said in a report following a two-year inquiry.
The inquiry also alleged that British soldiers were involved in ongoing murder cases.
It cited the killing of Ms Agnes Wanjiru,
“We deeply regret the challenges which have arisen in relation to our defense presence in Kenya,” the British Ministry of Defence said in an e-mailed response to a request for comment. “Where new allegations have come to light in the Committee’s report, we stand ready to investigate those under our jurisdiction fully once evidence is provided.”
The Kenyan inquiry found that the British Army “persistently declined” to appear before the committee, invoking diplomatic immunity and submitting only an unsigned document via Kenya’s foreign ministry, a move it described as showing “institutional contempt for the authority of Parliament and, by extension, the sovereignty of the people of Kenya”.
The British Ministry of Defence said it provided a statement that responded to the issues highlighted during the inquiry, outlining “actions taken to address the concerns raised”.
Kenya and Britain have maintained defence cooperation since the country’s independence in 1963. In 2023, Kenyan lawmakers ratified a defence agreement with London that explicitly allowed murder to be tried in Kenyan courts.
The committee recommended developing a code of conduct for visiting troops and establishing a task force to oversee crimes linked to foreign military personnel. BLOOMBERG
