Kenya Levels Serious Charges Against British Troops
A parliamentary panel's findings on British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) conduct, published this week, documented multiple human rights abuses including harassment, illegal imprisonment, and forcible displacement of residents surrounding Nanyuki, BATUK's operational headquarters.
"The inquiry… 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 Defense, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations wrote.
The 94-page investigation renews attention on the unsolved 2012 killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, whose remains were discovered inside a hotel septic tank months after witnesses last observed her departing a Nanyuki establishment with British servicemen. Former British soldier Robert James Purkiss, sought in connection with Wanjiru's slaying, was apprehended in November within the UK—over ten years later—and currently contests extradition to Kenya.
The report additionally referenced violations stretching to the 1990s, which investigators compared to abuses characteristic of British colonial occupation.
Parliamentary investigators determined BATUK has "persistently" declined to testify before legislative bodies, instead claiming diplomatic protection and communicating solely through anonymous written submissions channeled via Kenya's Foreign Ministry. Legislators condemned this approach as "institutional contempt for the authority of parliament and, by extension, the sovereignty of the people of Kenya," reflecting insufficient transparency and responsibility in BATUK's activities.
BATUK was created in 1964 through the post-independence Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Nairobi and London, delivering infantry, engineering, and medical instruction for rotating British battalions on Kenyan territory.
The DCA has endured persistent criticism over unaddressed questions surrounding legal authority, accountability, and restitution for local populations who have accused the formation of violations, ecological destruction, and training-related deaths.
Britain's Ministry of Defense has stated it regards the accusations with gravity and will examine any documentation provided by Kenyan officials.
The Kenyan committee has recommended revising the DCA to guarantee alignment with domestic legislation and safeguard local residents' rights.
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