US EditionKenya Report Alleges UK Troops Committed Rights Abuses
A parliamentary inquiry found persistent sexual violence, environmental harm, and lack of accountability by British troops, urging urgent revisions to Kenya-UK defence agreements.
- This week, Kenya's parliamentary Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations published a 94-page report after a two-year inquiry accusing the British Army Training Unit in Kenya of ethical breaches, rights violations and environmental negligence.
- The panel cited oral and written submissions from affected civilians, victims, community leaders, civil society organisations and public agencies, revealing a disturbing pattern of abuse in Laikipia and Samburu counties.
- Documenting incidents, the report describes Agnes Wanjiru's 2012 murder and a 1997 case where `30 women were gang-raped at knife-point`, along with harms from unexploded ordnance and toxic waste.
- Last month, British authorities arrested Robert Purkiss, who denies charges and faces extradition to Kenya, while the UK Ministry of Defence said it regrets issues and will investigate new allegations if evidence arises.
- With accountability in question, the panel warned the defence cooperation agreement between Kenya and the UK is "structurally flawed" and BATUK has "persistently" invoked diplomatic immunity, blocking justice for victims.
28 Articles
28 Articles
RFI has been able to obtain a report from the Kenya Parliament Defence Committee on the BATUK, the British Army training unit in Kenya. Since 2008, the United Kingdom has had a base in Nanyuki, in the centre of the country, where 1100 British soldiers train each year. Several scandals involving the Batuk have led to the opening of a parliamentary inquiry in 2023. In its conclusions of 25 November, the report speaks of corruption, fraud or human …
Kenya: British High Commission Protests Omission of Its Responses to Batuk Inquiry
Nairobi -- The British High Commission in Kenya has expressed disappointment after its formal submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) was not reflected in the final report released by the National Assembly's Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee.
Britain's enduring colonial grip on Kenya is starting to weaken
Kenya won independence from Britain in 1963 – in theory, at least. The truth is that the UK has maintained a colonial relationship with the country ever since. Kenyan still has a permanent UK military presence. UK troops rotate through the country all year round for arid environment military training. And the Brits have fought a shadow war in the region for years. Now, a new report by the Kenyan parliament’s defence committee has exposed the dam…
Sexual abuse to war crimes: What British troops have been accused of
A Kenyan Parliamentary report on the conduct of the UK troops stationed in the military base close to the town of Nanyuki, alleged harrowing details of human rights violations, environmental destruction and sexual abuse by British soldiers.
A devastating report also denounces "serious negligence" in the handling of munitions and "serious environmental violations", and alludes to events allegedly committed during "decades" Read
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