The Nairobi defence committee will look into claims of murder, sexual assault, and ethical transgressions by British forces.
The British Army Training Unit (BATUK), whose soldiers have been accused of torture, murder, and causing property and environmental damage, is the subject of an investigation by the Kenyan government, according to reports.
According to the Guardian and local media, Nairobi’s parliamentary defence committee will accept complaints from the general public regarding any alleged crimes committed by UK servicemen. The alleged ethical transgressions, human rights infractions, and operational integrity of BATUK employees will all be the subject of investigations starting in October.
Numerous charges of misconduct have been made against BATUK, one of the major military training facilities operated by the UK outside of the country, in the East African nation. BATUK’s operations are being held responsible for the destruction of land around its facility in Nanyuki, which is located about 125 miles (200 km) north of Nairobi.
Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was killed in Nanyuki, the town in Laikipia County where the permanent garrison of the UK army is situated, in 2012, according to allegations made against the groups using the centre.
After partying the night away with British soldiers, Wanjiru’s dismembered body was found in a septic tank at a hotel in Nanyuki a few weeks later.
British soldiers were found to be at fault for her death, according to a 2019 Kenyan investigation, which also mandated further inquiries. Prosecutors have not yet filed any accusations against the defendant.
The British army is permitted to operate in Nairobi according to a defence cooperation agreement between Kenya and its former coloniser. The Kenya-UK Defence Cooperation Agreement was approved in April in the wake of a wave of demonstrations from communities close to the army post and fresh outrage over the unsolved murder of Wanjiru, which was spurred by news that a British soldier had confessed to the crime.
According to reports, the defence committee of the country in East Africa anticipates presenting its conclusions to the legislature before the end of the year.
We’ll look into charges of sexual abuse, the use of potentially harmful substances by the British military in training, and the murder of Wanjiru.
The deputy speaker of the Laikipia County Assembly, Anthony Theuri Wambui, previously told RT that he supported the government’s move to look into the soldiers’ conduct. The official said that Wanjiru was murdered by British army officers, and her family is still looking for answers more than ten years later.
As the “first time that British army activities are being reviewed in this way” since Nairobi earned independence from the UK in 1963, Kenyan attorney Kelvin Kubai told the Guardian that the investigation is a “significant” step.
