The British Army is set to launch an inquiry into the behaviour of its troops posted at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki amid allegations of abuse, including rape and murder.
The announcement comes after a new investigative documentary by ITV called ‘The Base – A British Army Scandal.’ This looks at how, over the last twelve years, the prime suspect in the violent murder of Agnes Wanjiru, a Nanyuki resident, has been able to walk free in Britain. It also details an alleged cover-up that goes to the top of the UK military.
The inquiry will also scrutinise allegations that British soldiers have regularly paid for sex with local women, gang-raped women and abused girls as young as 13. Earlier this year, Kenya ran its own public inquiry into allegations of human-rights breaches and abuses of power connected to the BATUK base, to which local community members gave evidence.
The UK Ministry of Defence promised to look into the allegations, including the 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru. Her body was discovered in a hotel’s septic tank three months after her disappearance. Wanjiru, who was stabbed several times, was last seen in the company of British soldiers. A Kenyan inquest found that one or more British soldiers were responsible for her murder. The hearings marked the culmination of long-winded legal proceedings to try British soldiers under Kenyan law following years of lobbying by civil society groups and after initial pushback from the British government.
No one has ever been prosecuted, despite the suspect being named by several regiment members. UK Defence Secretary John Healey has promised to meet with Wanjiru’s family. According to a UK government website, Britain spends £6.5 million ($8.25 million) annually for its defence partnership with Kenya.
Despite Kenya gaining independence in 1963, Brits still occupy Kenyan land for military and corporate purposes.