A petition submitted to parliament cites sexual violence, abandoned children, and unresolved killings
Victims of alleged abuses involving British soldiers in Kenya have called on the African nation’s parliament to block the renewal of a defense agreement with the UK until outstanding cases are resolved.
Survivors, bereaved families, workers, and residents marched in Nairobi on Wednesday before submitting a petition to the National Assembly. They are demanding that lawmakers implement the recommendations of a November 2025 parliamentary inquiry before approving the pact, including holding British troops accountable for crimes, providing victims with legal aid, and enforcing child-support obligations.
Renewing the agreement, which is currently before parliament, without providing redress would be a “grave disservice” to victims, local daily The Standard reported, citing the petition.
The inquiry documented allegations of rape and sexual assault, deaths, and injuries involving unexploded ordnance, environmental destruction, and mistreatment of Kenyan employees by personnel from the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK).
Petitioners also accused British soldiers of fathering “hundreds” of children and abandoning them without support. In April, a King’s College London investigation reported nearly 100 documented paternity cases. It identified 20 British fathers and secured UK court rulings in 12 cases.
BATUK, the British Army’s largest contingent in Africa, is based mainly near Nanyuki in Laikipia County. According to the British Army, it comprises about 100 permanent British personnel, 280 rotating troops, and more than 500 Kenyan employees.
Its presence has long faced opposition over alleged abuses and disputes over whether British personnel accused of crimes in Kenya should be prosecuted by Kenyan or UK authorities.
The activists cited the 2012 killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was found in a septic tank at a Nanyuki hotel after she had reportedly spent the evening with British soldiers.
“Those who witnessed the so-called commandos, the white British soldiers, murdering Agnes Wanjiru will not forget that instance, even if the law says that they did not kill her,” activist Booker Omole told The Standard.
Former serviceman Robert James Purkiss, who denies killing Wanjiru, is fighting extradition to Kenya.
BATUK was also blamed for a 2021 wildfire that destroyed more than 12,000 acres at the Lolldaiga Conservancy. London later agreed to pay £2.9 million ($3.9 million) in compensation to thousands of claimants.
The British Ministry of Defense has said it “deeply regrets” problems linked to the unit’s presence and is prepared to investigate new allegations once evidence is provided.
On July 23, the UK announced that a planned army exercise would be moved outside Kenya because the required licenses had not been issued. Days later, both governments said training would resume after Nairobi agreed to grant the necessary permissions.
