A British soldier based at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki, around 200km north of Nairobi, has been arrested on suspicion of raping a Kenyan woman near the military base.
Kenyan authorities detained the soldier, whose identity has not been disclosed, following a complaint lodged by the alleged victim.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) acknowledged the arrest, stating, “We confirm the apprehension of a service member in Kenya. Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has no place in our Armed Forces, and any serious crime is investigated independently.” The MoD declined further comment, citing the ongoing probe by its Defence Serious Crime Unit.
The assault reportedly took place last month, after a group of soldiers visited a local bar, according to police reports.
The incident has stirred local anger over the conduct of British troops in Kenya, particularly in light of unresolved cases involving allegations of sexual violence.
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It reminded people of the 2012 killing of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman whose body was found in a septic tank at a Nanyuki hotel after she was last seen with British soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment of BATUK.
More than a decade later, no one has been charged for her death. That is despite renewed calls for justice almost every often, especially since the leaking of a WhatsApp group chat in which soldiers from the regiment appeared to mock her killing with memes about murder and septic tanks back in 2021.
The story, which was widely covered by international and Kenyan media, has become a flashpoint for citizens and critics of the British military’s presence in Kenya.
BATUK, a key training hub under a UK–Kenya defence agreement, hosts up to 6,000 British troops annually for rigorous exercises in preparation for global operations or high-readiness tasks.
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