By Enyichukwu Enemanna
An investigation by Kenyan parliament has alleged that British troops training in the East African country have for years engaged in a pattern of sexual misconduct and environmental harm that has led the forces to be seen as an “occupying presence”.
The findings of the probe by the House Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations highlight rising frustrations in Kenya over the conduct of soldiers from the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), who have faced a raft of highly-publicised accusations in recent years.
A spokesperson for Britain’s defence ministry said in a statement that the ministry deeply regrets “the challenges that have arisen in relation to our defence presence in Kenya”, assuring that it was prepared to investigate new allegations in the report once evidence is provided.
Under an existing agreement, thousands of British troops can pass through Kenya for training missions each year.
One of the most publicised misconducts involving British soldiers in Kenya is the alleged 2012 murder of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru near the British forces’ training camp in the Kenya’s town of Nanyuki.
The suspect, a British soldier named Robert Purkiss, was arrested in Britain last month after years of advocacy by Wanjiru’s family and Kenyan rights groups, who said her killers were being shielded by a defence cooperation agreement between the two countries.
Purkiss, who now faces extradition hearings to Kenya has denied any involvement in Wanjiru’s death.
The parliamentary committee’s report, which was dated November 25 but published on the Assembly’s website Tuesday, said it had “uncovered a disturbing trend of sexual misconduct by BATUK personnel, marked by rape, assault, and abandonment of children fathered by soldiers”.
It said public hearings in areas where BATUK trains had revealed evidence of numerous injuries and deaths to Kenyans employed by British forces to clear unexploded ordnance.
According to the report, they carry out such duties without protective equipment, leading to injuries or deaths from such materials.
“BATUK is increasingly seen as an occupying presence rather than a development partner,” the report said.
In a statement it provided to the parliamentary committee, BATUK said it has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse and takes any allegations very seriously. It added that environmental audits showed high levels of compliance with Kenyan regulations.
