Britain's Ministry of Defense has launched an investigation into the conduct of its soldiers in Kenya in Nanyuki ahead of the broadcasting of an investigative piece by UK broadcaster ITV showing that multiple Kenyans are still complaining of abuse despite numerous assurances by the foreign power that the issue would be handled.
UK publication The Guardian reports that investigative journalists with ITV returned to Nanyuki and found that abuse allegations were still prevalent. Kenyan women have accused the foreign servicemen of rape and abuse forcing the UK army to swing into action.
The inquiry will examine the conduct of military personnel posted to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). It will interrogate the soldiers' conduct thoroughly building from findings of an investigation into the killing of Agnes Wanjiru a 21-year-old Kenyan lady in 2012.
Agnes's body was found dumped in a septic tank at a hotel in the town of Nanyuki in Central Kenya nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening with British soldiers.
12 years after her death, no one has been charged or prosecuted for her death despite a 2018 inquest confirming that she was murdered by a British soldier.
The ITV expose documentary to be aired this Sunday, September 29, will be narrated by journalists who went back to the base in Nanyuki and found out that such abuses are still ongoing.
It is alleged that the British soldiers regularly paid for sex with local Kenyan women. Some soldiers are accused of raping multiple Kenyan women and young girls as young as 13. Two women in Nanyuki told ITV they had been raped recently by soldiers, while another said girls as young as 13 were among those being abused by British troops.
Speaking ahead of the expose whose promos have already been run, a spokesperson from the British Ministry of Defense acknowledged the concerns and revealed that an investigation will be launched. This is even as victims continue to wait for justice to be served after years of empty promises from the UK government.
“The Defense Secretary has discussed with the Chief of General Staff these alarming allegations of unacceptable behavior by service personnel deployed to Kenya.
“We take these allegations extremely seriously and the army will launch an inquiry into the conduct of those deployed to Kenya.”
Rose Wanjiku, Agnes' sister, and her lawyer Leigh Day have been challenging the MoD since 2022 to investigate what happened to Agnes properly, ‘including to ensure that any potential cover-up is investigated and such acts are never repeated’.
While Wanjiku welcomes the MOD’s move to acknowledge the ills and the shocking allegations of continued abuse by British soldiers in Kenya, she has urged them to ensure the investigation is both effective and independent. She also wants the UK government to formally concede what happened to her sister.
