British Army inquiry finds soldiers still exploiting women in Kenya despite ban
The 2022 ban was part of a wider push to prevent sexual exploitation across the British military. Since then, the British army has introduced more training and "sharkwatch" patrols, where senior officers monitor junior soldiers during nights out.
A British Army service inquiry has revealed that some soldiers in Kenya are still paying for sex, despite a ban introduced in 2022.
The inquiry, seen by the Eastleigh Voice, looked into conduct at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki between July 2022 and late 2024. They found 35 suspected cases in the period under review.
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26 of these occurred before British troops were trained on the new rules in November 2022, while the remaining nine incidents happened after that. In most cases, the report says, the claims were never proven.
The inquiry was led by two serving officers, a civil servant and an independent adviser, who also assessed how the army enforces Joint Service Publication 769, the regulation that prohibits British soldiers from engaging sex workers abroad.
It was ordered in October 2024 following an ITV documentary that claimed BATUK soldiers were exploiting Kenyan women.
The base has faced repeated allegations of misconduct following the 2012 killing of Agnes Wanjiru, allegedly by a British soldier.
The report recommended tougher dismissal rules for offenders and more training for British servicemen.
UK Chief of General Staff Gen Sir Roly Walker has since condemned the latest findings, saying such incidents fuel abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people in local communities.
"The findings of the Service Inquiry I commissioned conclude that transactional sex is still happening in Kenya at a low to moderate level. It should not be happening at all," he said, according to the BBC.
"There is absolutely no place for sexual exploitation and abuse by people in the British Army. It is at complete odds with what it means to be a British soldier. It preys on the vulnerable and benefits those who seek to profit from abuse and exploitation."
The 2022 ban was part of a wider push to prevent sexual exploitation across the British military. Since then, the British army has introduced more training and "sharkwatch" patrols, where senior officers monitor junior soldiers during nights out.
Additional reports indicate that the UK Foreign Office has confirmed that less than five similar cases are currently under investigation, all from after the inquiry ended.
Kenyan MPs are currently investigating wider claims of misconduct by BATUK soldiers, including rape, injuries to civilians and abandoned children fathered by British troops.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly's Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee accused senior officials from BATUK of disrespecting Parliament by failing to attend a scheduled hearing on alleged crimes by their soldiers in Kenya.
The committee had summoned BATUK leadership, together with Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, to address ongoing misconduct investigations, but only the CS and her Principal Secretary, Patrick Mariru, availed themselves.
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