The military is to launch an investigation into the actions of British troops stationed at military bases in Kenya following multiple allegations of serious abuse by soldiers, including rape and murder.
The inquiry aims to examine the conduct of military personnel assigned to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). This is where the soldier suspected of killing Kenyan woman Agnes Wanjiru was stationed when she died in 2012.
An ITV Exposure documentary aired on Sunday, returning to Nanyuki near the base, revealed that allegations of abuse are still emerging. British soldiers are said to have regularly paid for sex with local women and raped multiple women and a 13-year-old girl.
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: “The Secretary of Defense discussed with the Chief of Staff the disturbing allegations regarding unacceptable conduct by military personnel deployed to Kenya.
“We take these allegations very seriously and the military will be launching an investigation into the actions of those deployed to Kenya.”
Wanjiru's niece Esther Njoki said in response to news of the investigation: “All we want as a family is closure, but we won't get that unless we have answers and steps are taken to ensure what happened to Agnes never happens again.
“The UK Ministry of Defense has repeatedly promised and assured us that it is taking steps to investigate, but we are tired of assurances without action. We want to take action now. More than 12 years after a proper investigation into the cause of Agnes' loss, we still have no answers.”
The previous government banned British military personnel from paying for sex abroad and warned that they could be fired if they breached the ban. But allegations from ITV suggest it is consistently ignored.
The ban was as follows Sunday Times investigation The death of Wanjiru, a young woman who lived in poverty and sometimes sold sex to support her daughter.
She lived in Nanyuki, where soldiers socialized between work, drank heavily and paid local women as little as £1 for sex.
Wanjiru was stabbed multiple times and was last seen drinking with British troops. A Kenyan inquest found that one or more British soldiers were involved in her murder.
However, a suspect was named by several members of the regiment and a witness said the alleged culprit had taken him to see Agnes' body in the septic tank, which was then discovered in an astonishing Despite testifying, no one has been charged in her death. .
Defense Secretary John Healey, who urged the previous government to act on the incident, said he would be the first British secretary of state to meet with Wanjiru's family.
“The Secretary of Defense has long recognized the tragic circumstances of Mr. Wanjiru's death and remains and reaffirms the pursuit of justice for Mr. Wanjiru and his family as a priority,” the Ministry of Defense said. the official said.
“Since being appointed to this position, the Department has directed that all possible steps be taken to ensure maximum co-operation with the Kenyan authorities on this matter. Dew.”
In its defense strategy released in response to the public outcry over Wazir's death, the Ministry of Defense said it would “prohibit all sexual activities that involve abuse of power, including prostitution abroad”.
However, two women from Nanyuki told ITV that they had recently been raped by soldiers, and another woman said a 13-year-old girl was also among the victims of abuse by British forces.
Eve told ITV in March last year that she was 14 when she agreed to have sex with a British soldier for money. She said she was taken to a house, robbed of her cellphone and raped by a group of men she said were “men from Batuk.”
“To my surprise, there were seven people in attendance,” she told ITV. “So they started using me. This is over, this is here.”
Eve, now 15, said she felt the men “wanted to kill” her, adding: “You won't understand because of the way they treated me, like I was an animal. ” he added.
When she told her friends what had happened, they said: There's nothing you can do. ”
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Faith, 28, told how she was raped by a group of six men after agreeing to go home with a British soldier. She told ITV in March this year, less than two weeks after the incident.
The assault lasted for almost two hours, during which time he became worried that he would be killed. “It was very scary,” she said. “I wanted to scream, and one of them covered my mouth…I decided to remain silent. For almost two hours straight. One after another.
“They just do what they want and then leave,” she said, adding that she was left injured. “I couldn't even urinate for the next two days. It was so bad…my mouth was so sore.”
Fellow Kenyan woman Joy, 28, told ITV: “My first job as a sex worker was with British soldiers. I was around 17, just out of high school, and the others were much younger, around 13, 14 and 15.”
She also said that women suffered severe violence from British soldiers. In one incident she said, a sex worker was urinated on by a British soldier who she thought had consented to sex.
“He just urinated on her,” she said, and when the woman questioned him, he allegedly told her: Anyway. I came here just to have fun. ”
“Then he finished talking and walked away, leaving the girl behind,” Joy said.
In the second incident, she said another woman was forced to have anal sex by a soldier, who then left money on the bed and raped her. “After she exchanged the money into Kenyan shillings, there was no agreed amount that night,” Joy said.
The documentary also records a British soldier in Kenya admitting that soldiers were still paying for sex. [regimental sergeant majors]Color Sergeant, they'll all cheat on their wives and have sex here because it's their break. ”
Kenya is conducting its own public inquiry into allegations of human rights violations and abuses of power related to the base, and members of the local community gave evidence this summer.
A MoD spokesperson said: “We expect the highest standards from our staff and are committed to preventing sexual exploitation in any form and through our zero-tolerance policy we will ensure that anyone found involved is We will hold them accountable.”
“The Royal Military Police and BATUK work closely with Kenya Police Liaison Officers, local communities and county leadership to ensure any concerns are promptly addressed and, if necessary, the Defense Serious Crime Command to investigate.”
Base: British military scandals It will be broadcast on ITV1 on Sunday 29th September at 10.20pm.
