A member of the British Army has been arrested in Kenya over an alleged rape incident near the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK), as investigations by the United Kingdom’s Defence Serious Crime Command began.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), confirming the arrest on Sunday, said the soldier was detained in connection with an incident that reportedly took place last month in the town of Nanyuki, located roughly 200 kilometers north of Nairobi. The alleged assault is said to have occurred after a group of British soldiers visited a local bar.
“We can confirm the arrest of a Service person in Kenya,” the Ministry said in a brief statement. “As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further.”
The BBC and other British outlets reported that the soldier is being accused of rape. The MoD emphasized its stance on discipline and conduct within the armed forces, stating: “Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces, and any reporting of a serious crime by serving personnel is investigated independently from their chain of command.”
Under a bilateral defense cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom and Kenya, thousands of British troops are granted permission to train on Kenyan soil annually. Approximately 200 UK personnel are permanently stationed in Kenya, primarily to support the training of Kenyan forces.
However, concerns surrounding the behavior of British soldiers in the East African country are not new. The latest allegation has reignited anger among local communities, many of whom have expressed long-standing grievances regarding the conduct of foreign troops, particularly around the BATUK camp.
Meanwhile, In 2012, 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman and mother of one, was found dead in a septic tank near the British base, weeks after she was last seen leaving a bar in the company of British soldiers. Her death, widely believed to involve a British serviceman, has remained a flashpoint in UK-Kenya military relations.
Wanjiru’s family demanded justice, urging both the British and Kenyan governments to hold the perpetrator accountable.
Meanwhile, in April 2025, UK Defence Secretary John Healey visited Kenya and met with Wanjiru’s relatives, pledging to support their pursuit of justice.
“I want to help the family secure the justice they deserve,” Healey said.
The Ministry of Defence, acknowledging previous incidents, has began an internal inquiry into the behavior of its personnel deployed in Kenya.
He stressed that all British service members receive strict guidance on conduct, including mandatory training and compulsory briefings.
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“All British personnel in the country have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty,” the MoD said. “We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour.”
Meanwhile, the British Army continues to face scrutiny over its presence in Kenya, with a public inquiry set up by Kenyan lawmakers in 2023 hearing a series of complaints from residents near the BATUK base.
These included reports of hit-and-run accidents, sexual exploitation, and allegations that some soldiers fathered children with local women before abandoning them and returning to the UK.
The training camp, established in 1964 shortly after Kenya gained independence from British colonial rule, is an essential part of the UK’s military infrastructure abroad. It allows for up to six battalion deployments each year.
