A British soldier accused of rape in Kenya has been flown back to the UK as military police continue their investigation, the BBC has learned. The alleged assault occurred last month near the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) based in Nanyuki, approximately 200km (125 miles) north of Nairobi.
The incident reportedly took place after a group of British soldiers visited a local bar. The accused soldier was arrested and questioned by authorities in Kenya before being repatriated. The investigation is now being led by the UK’s Defence Serious Crime Unit (DSCU), which handles serious offences involving British military personnel both in the UK and abroad.
The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement that a service member had been arrested in Kenya, stating: “Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces. Any serious crime reported involving serving personnel is investigated independently of their chain of command.”
This is not the first time the Batuk base has drawn scrutiny. The alleged rape follows long-standing concerns over the conduct of some British troops stationed at the facility. In one of the most prominent cases, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman and mother, was found murdered in 2012. Her body was discovered in a septic tank near the Batuk base weeks after she was reportedly last seen with British soldiers.
In 2021, The Sunday Times reported that a British soldier was believed to be responsible for her death. The Ministry of Defence has since stated it is cooperating with an ongoing Kenyan investigation into the murder.
Established in 1964, the Batuk base allows the UK to deploy up to six army battalions a year for training in Kenya. However, the base has been the focus of growing criticism and legal scrutiny in recent years. A Kenyan parliamentary inquiry launched in 2023 revealed multiple allegations of abuse, including hit-and-run incidents, mistreatment of locals, and accusations that some soldiers fathered children with Kenyan women and abandoned them.
Public pressure is mounting in both countries for greater accountability and oversight of British military activities in Kenya. The current case has reignited calls for a thorough
