A British soldier accused of raping a woman near a British military training facility in Kenya has been returned to the United Kingdom as investigations continue, according to BBC sources.
The alleged incident occurred last month near the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), situated close to Nanyuki, a town roughly 200 kilometres north of Nairobi.
The soldier was taken into custody and questioned in connection with the allegations, which reportedly arose after a group of soldiers had visited a local bar in Nanyuki.
The UK’s Defence Serious Crime Unit, a division tasked with probing criminal acts involving British military personnel both domestically and abroad, is leading the investigation.
In a statement, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) acknowledged that a “service person” had been detained in Kenya. The ministry stressed its zero-tolerance stance on misconduct within the military.
“Criminal and inappropriate behaviour has no place in the Armed Forces,” the MoD stated. “Any serious offence reported against a serving member is independently investigated outside their command structure.”
This case emerges as further scrutiny falls on BATUK, following past accusations involving British personnel stationed in Kenya. One of the most high-profile cases involved the 2012 death of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman whose body was discovered in a septic tank near the military camp weeks after she was last seen with British soldiers.
A 2021 investigation by the UK’s Sunday Times suggested that a British soldier was suspected in Wanjiru’s murder. The MoD has since pledged cooperation with Kenyan authorities on the matter.
BATUK, which has been operational since 1964, shortly after Kenya gained independence, hosts up to six British army battalions each year under a military cooperation agreement.
However, the base has faced increasing criticism over the conduct of some of its personnel. A Kenyan parliamentary inquiry established in 2024 has heard testimonies of alleged abuses, including a fatal hit-and-run incident and claims that some British soldiers fathered children with local women and abandoned them upon returning to the UK.
