Latest news with #BATUK
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
British soldier arrested in Kenya on rape allegations
A British soldier in Kenya has been arrested on rape allegations, the UK defense ministry said Sunday, confirming a BBC report. 'We can confirm the arrest of a service person in Kenya,' a ministry spokesperson told AFP, adding that no further comment would be made while the matter was being investigated. The BBC reported that the alleged rape happened last month in Nanyuki, a town north of Nairobi close to where a large British base is located. According to the BBC report, the soldier who has been arrested went to a Nanyuki bar with fellow soldiers before the alleged rape happened. The base – British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) – has been the focus of several controversies in Kenya in the past, notably the 2012 murder of a young Kenyan woman. In that case, the woman was last seen alive in the company of a British soldier. Her body was found in a septic tank. There were no arrests, but in 2021 Kenyan police reopened their investigation after Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reported that several soldiers had heard one of their colleagues speak the same night about killing the woman. In 2003, the rights group Amnesty International said it had counted 650 rape accusations against British soldiers in Kenya between 1965 and 2001. Kenya, a former British colony, became independent in 1963. BATUK, on its website, says it is the biggest British Army contingent in Africa. It says it conducts training with Kenya's military, and a 'peace support team' also deploys from there across Africa. Under an agreement with Kenya, the British army has primary jurisdiction over the latest case alleging rape.
Russia Today
08-04-2025
- Russia Today
British soldiers do not have immunity in Kenyan murder case
The British Army's argument that its soldiers cannot be prosecuted in Kenya for allegedly murdering a young woman more than a decade ago is not correct, a lawyer representing the victim's family has said. Mbiyu Kamau made the comments in an interview with RT on Monday, arguing that local courts have jurisdiction over the case involving the late Agnes Wanjiru because the crime was committed in Kenya. 'We are saying that this case was committed in Kenya and the UK government should not claim that the British military officers who committed the offense are immune,' Kamau said. 'That immunity was waved in a court of law in Kenya which had competent jurisdiction to say when an offense is committed in Kenya, Kenyan courts are competent to try that kind of a case. They are just playing around by claiming immunity,' he added. Agnes Wanjiru was killed in 2012, and her mutilated body was found in a hotel septic tank near the British Army Training Unit Kenya's (BATUK) permanent garrison in Nanyuki, a town in Laikipia County. The 21-year-old woman had been missing for several weeks after spending a night partying with British soldiers. READ MORE: British Army insists on troop immunity from Kenyan murder case In 2019, a Kenyan judiciary inquiry concluded that the soldiers were responsible for her death and ordered additional investigations. A British soldier reportedly confessed to Wanjiru's murder in 2021, but no charges have been brought forward by prosecutors. The BATUK asked the Kenyan High Court in November 2023 to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Wanjiru's family, claiming that the tribunal lacks jurisdiction over any case involving a UK Army unit in the country. The issue of jurisdiction over British soldiers who violate Kenyan law has sparked disagreement between London and Nairobi, while other incidents, such as claims of environmental breaches by the BATUK, have sparked local protests. READ MORE: Payback time, Your Majesty: Will the British Army be brought to justice for its actions in Africa? On Monday, investigators in the African country announced that they have concluded a probe into Wanjiru's death. The office of the public prosecutor said it had received the file and had put together a team of senior prosecutors to review the case. On the same day, UK Defense Secretary John Healey visited Kenya and met with Wanjiru's relatives, pledging to help them 'secure the justice they deserve.' He is the first British minister to meet with the victim's family since her death 13 years ago. Speaking with RT, the Wanjiru family's lawyer accused both the Kenyan and British governments of obstructing justice by shielding the suspect for over a decade. 'We really are looking forward to the names of the suspects… because that will ensure that justice is being done, and we want to know who is this person and why this person has enjoyed protection by the government, either the Kenyan government or the UK government,' Kamau stated. .mediaplayer { min-height: 150px; } .jwplayer .jw-controls .jw-controlbar .jw-icon-cc { display: none; } .media__video_noscript { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; height: 100%; width: 100%; } .full_transcript_text { display: block; }
