NANYUKI, Kenya — A recent investigation by the British Army has revealed that some soldiers stationed at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) continue to engage in transactional sex despite a formal ban on the practice.
A report from the service inquiry concluded that the use of sex workers by personnel at the controversial base is happening at a “low to moderate” level, while acknowledging that more work is needed to eliminate the practice entirely.
The inquiry, which was commissioned in October 2024 following an ITV documentary on the matter, examined the conduct of troops at the base since July 2022. Responding to the report’s findings, UK Chief of General Staff Gen Sir Roly Walker stated his commitment to stopping sexual exploitation within the ranks.
“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. “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 report detailed 35 instances in which Batuk soldiers were suspected of paying for sex since the ban was instituted. It noted that 26 of those cases occurred before mandatory training on the new rule began in November 2022, with nine reported since.
While the majority of these allegations were never proven, the inquiry concluded that “transactional sexual activity” by UK personnel in Kenya was still ongoing.
“The level is somewhere between low and moderate,” the report added, before warning that “It is not out of control, but the best way for the Army to manage the risk is for the Army to assume it may be at the upper end of that scale between low and moderate.”
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This latest report adds to years of controversy surrounding the conduct of British troops in the region. Allegations have included the alleged involvement of a British soldier in the 2012 murder of local woman Agnes Wanjiru, as well as an ongoing inquiry by Kenyan MPs into claims of injuries and soldiers fathering and abandoning children.
The inquiry also found that a soldier stationed at Batuk was sent back to the UK in June after being accused of rape.
In response to the report’s recommendations, the British Army has pledged to implement new measures, including making it easier to dismiss soldiers found to have used sex workers and introducing additional training.
The service inquiry also noted that its panel, which spoke to many local Kenyans, found “the vast majority” of residents were happy with the presence of the Batuk camp.
