
British army in Kenya: Soldier detained over rape allegation
A UK soldier has been accused of raping a woman near a British army training camp in Kenya where another soldier has previously been accused of murder.The alleged rape happened last month close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) near the town of Nanyuki, 200km (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi.The man was arrested and questioned following the alleged incident after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the town.An investigation is being carried out by UK military police from the Defence Serious Crime Unit which looks into crimes allegedly committed by British service personnel in the UK and overseas.
The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement that a "service person" had been detained in Kenya."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," the MoD said.The alleged rape involving a soldier from the British base in Kenya follows previous allegations that a soldier stationed in Kenya was involved in the murder of a local woman in 2012.The body of Agnes Wanjiru, who was 21 and a mother of one, was found in a septic tank near the Batuk base three weeks after she disappeared, allegedly after spending the evening with British soldiers.The Sunday Times reported in 2021 that a British soldier was believed to have been responsible for her murder.The MoD has since said it is cooperating with a Kenyan investigation into the incident.The Batuk base was established in 1964 shortly after the East African nation gained independence from the UK.The UK military has an agreement with Kenya under which it can deploy up to six army battalions a year for periods of training at the site.But the British army has faced a string of allegations about the conduct of some UK personnel at the camp.A public inquiry set up by Kenyan MPs last year heard details of alleged mistreatment of local people by British soldiers.The allegations including a reported hit-and-run incident, and claims that some British soldiers had got local women pregnant before abandoning them and their children when they returned to the UK.
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The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
British ‘service person' arrested on suspicion of ‘raping' woman near army training camp in Kenya
A BRITISH "service person" has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman near an army training camp in Kenya. The alleged rape happened last month, with the man arrested after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the area near the town of Nanyuki, BBC reports. 2 2 Military cops have questioned the bar owner and security guards who were working the night of the incident that occurred close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), The Sunday Times reports. According to the paper, the bar owner said: "They [soldiers] like this place and when I meet some of them in the supermarkets, they tell me they have been banned from coming here. "Sometimes they get too drunk and I drop them at the gate for free." An investigation is being carried out by the UK military police from the Defence Serious Crime Unit. The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement that a "service person" had been arrested in Kenya. A MoD spokesperson said in a statement: "We can confirm the arrest of a Service person in Kenya. "As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further." A UK-Kenya defence cooperation agreement allows thousands of Brit soldiers to train in the East African country every year. About 200 UK troops are based there permanently to train Kenyan soldiers. Some Kenyan people have complained for a long time about the soldiers behaviour alongside the atmosphere around their training camp near the town of Nanyuki. There was an outcry over the 2012 death of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was last seen alive leaving a bar with British troops near their training camp. Her body was tragically later found in a septic tank. Wanjirus family has campaigned for years for the suspected perpetrator, a serving British soldier at the time, to be charged. In April, UK Defense Secretary John Healey met with Wanjirus grieving family in Kenya and vowed to help the family secure the justice they deserve. The British Army has launched an inquiry into allegations of unacceptable behavior by UK personnel in Kenya. The MoD said in a statement that all British personnel in the country "have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty, must complete mandatory training and attend compulsory briefings on conduct." It added: "We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour."


Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
British ‘service person' arrested on suspicion of ‘raping' woman near army training camp in Kenya
A UK-Kenya defence cooperation agreement allows thousands of Brit soldiers to train in Kenya every year ARMY 'RAPE' British 'service person' arrested on suspicion of 'raping' woman near army training camp in Kenya Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH "service person" has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman near an army training camp in Kenya. The alleged rape happened last month, with the man arrested after a group of soldiers visited a bar in the area near the town of Nanyuki, BBC reports. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The incident occurred close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) 2 A Brit 'service person' has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman near an army training camp in Kenya Credit: Getty Military cops have questioned the bar owner and security guards who were working the night of the incident that occurred close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), The Sunday Times reports. According to the paper, the bar owner said: "They [soldiers] like this place and when I meet some of them in the supermarkets, they tell me they have been banned from coming here. "Sometimes they get too drunk and I drop them at the gate for free." An investigation is being carried out by the UK military police from the Defence Serious Crime Unit. read more news HOLIDAY TRAGEDY Brit tourist, 21, found dead on street in popular Algarve resort The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement that a "service person" had been arrested in Kenya. A MoD spokesperson said in a statement: "We can confirm the arrest of a Service person in Kenya. "As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further." A UK-Kenya defence cooperation agreement allows thousands of Brit soldiers to train in the East African country every year. About 200 UK troops are based there permanently to train Kenyan soldiers. Some Kenyan people have complained for a long time about the soldiers behaviour alongside the atmosphere around their training camp near the town of Nanyuki. There was an outcry over the 2012 death of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, who was last seen alive leaving a bar with British troops near their training camp. Bloodcurdling moment ruthless soldier cocks his gun & presses it against woman's temple during restaurant brawl Her body was tragically later found in a septic tank. Wanjirus family has campaigned for years for the suspected perpetrator, a serving British soldier at the time, to be charged. In April, UK Defense Secretary John Healey met with Wanjirus grieving family in Kenya and vowed to help the family secure the justice they deserve. The British Army has launched an inquiry into allegations of unacceptable behavior by UK personnel in Kenya. The MoD said in a statement that all British personnel in the country "have clear direction about how to behave, on and off duty, must complete mandatory training and attend compulsory briefings on conduct." It added: "We will have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour."


BBC News
15 hours ago
- BBC News
Albert Ojwang: Kenyan dies in custody after arrest for social media post
Kenya's independent police oversight body has launched an investigation into the death of a man who had been detained "for false publication", the police have Ojwang was arrested in the western town of Homa Bay and then driven 350km (220 miles) to the capital, Nairobi, his father Meshack Opiyo told journalists."While in custody, the suspect sustained head injuries after hitting his head against a cell wall," a police statement said. He was rushed to hospital "where he was pronounced dead on arrival".The director of the Kenyan branch of rights group Amnesty International told the BBC that the death of Mr Ojwang, described in reports as a teacher and blogger, was "very suspicious". Amnesty said in a statement that his death "raises serious questions that must be urgently, thoroughly, and independently investigated".Senior police officer Stephen Okal is quoted by the Star newspaper as saying what happened in the cell was "an attempted suicide".It is not clear what the charge of "false publication" referred to, but Mr Opiyo told online news site Citizen Digital that the arresting police officer said "Albert had insulted a senior person on X", the social media to the circumstances of his arrest, Amnesty International Kenya director Irungu Houghton said it was "quite shocking" that Mr Ojwang was not booked in at the local police station after being detained, but was instead taken on a long called on the independent investigators to secure what he described as "the crime scene" at the police station in police said that Mr Ojwang was "lawfully arrested".His detention and death comes at a time of rising concern about how some government critics are being treated. Last week, software developer Rose Njeri - who created a tool to help people oppose a government finance bill - was charged with violating a cybercrime law. You may also be interested in: Why Kenya's president has so many nicknamesThe 'tax collector' president sparking Kenyan angerBBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica