British soldiers stationed at a training base in central Kenya continue to engage in “transactional sex,” violating a 2022 ban aimed at curbing sexual exploitation and abuse, an internal investigation has revealed.
The two-year inquiry, published Tuesday, found 35 cases in which troops at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki were suspected of paying local women for sex between July 2022 and late 2024. The probe concluded that such activity persisted at a “low or moderate” level despite explicit prohibitions by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The investigation was launched in October last year after fresh allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct, including rape and abuse, by soldiers stationed at the camp. The British military’s ban on paying for sex abroad was introduced in 2022 in response to mounting concerns about the conduct of personnel overseas.
UK Chief of the General Staff Gen. Roly Walker condemned the findings, calling the practice “completely at odds with what it means to be a British soldier” and “preying on the vulnerable.” He said the army remained committed to upholding “the highest standards of behavior” and pledged to implement the report’s recommendations.
The British Army’s presence in Kenya has long been controversial. In 2012, 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru was murdered after reportedly spending an evening with British soldiers in Nanyuki. Her mutilated body was later found in a hotel septic tank near the BATUK base.
In June this year, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that a “service person” had been arrested in Kenya in connection with an alleged rape and repatriated to the UK. The case is now under investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command.
Kenyan authorities are also conducting a separate investigation into wider allegations of mistreatment by British troops in the country.
