A British soldier has been arrested over allegations of rape near the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki, rekindling anger and scrutiny over the conduct of UK troops stationed in Kenya.
The alleged incident occurred last month, after a group of British soldiers visited a local bar in Nanyuki town, approximately 200km north of Nairobi.
The suspect was detained and questioned by the UK’s Defence Serious Crime Unit, which investigates serious offences by British service personnel both at home and abroad.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the arrest in a statement, saying:
“Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces… Any reporting of a serious crime by serving personnel is investigated independently from their chain of command.”
This comes amid deepening mistrust and outrage over a growing list of misconduct allegations tied to the UK base.
Most notably, in 2012, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman and mother, was found murdered in a septic tank after reportedly being last seen with British soldiers. Despite international coverage and outrage, no one has been prosecuted.
Last year, Kenyan MPs launched a public inquiry into allegations of abuse by British forces. Testimonies revealed claims of hit-and-run incidents, abandonment of children fathered with local women, and mistreatment of civilians.
Established in 1964, the BATUK base has long served as a critical military training hub for UK forces, with up to six battalions rotating through annually. However, local anger is mounting.
Kenyan civil society groups and lawmakers are now calling for greater accountability — and even a review of the military agreement between Kenya and the UK — amid concerns that British soldiers operate with impunity.
