British soldier accused of rape in Kenya sent back to UK as investigation continues, amid ongoing scrutiny over misconduct by UK troops at Batuk base.

A British soldier accused of raping a woman near a controversial military camp in Kenya has been repatriated to the United Kingdom while investigations continue, the BBC understands.

The incident allegedly occurred last month near the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk), situated close to the town of Nanyuki, approximately 200km (125 miles) north of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

The soldier was reportedly detained by UK military authorities and questioned in connection with the allegation, which followed a night out involving several soldiers at a bar in the town.

The investigation is being conducted by the UK’s Defence Serious Crime Unit, a branch of military police tasked with handling serious offenses involving British service members both domestically and abroad.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed in a statement that a “service person” was arrested in Kenya. “Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place in our Armed Forces, and any report of a serious crime by serving personnel is investigated independently from their chain of command,” the MoD stated.

This alleged rape case comes against a backdrop of past accusations involving British soldiers stationed at the Kenyan base. In 2012, a British soldier was alleged to have been involved in the murder of a Kenyan woman, Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother of one, whose body was discovered in a septic tank near the Batuk base three weeks after she vanished. She had reportedly been last seen with British soldiers on the night she disappeared.

In 2021, the UK’s Sunday Times reported that a British soldier was believed to be responsible for Wanjiru’s death. The MoD later confirmed its cooperation with the ongoing Kenyan investigation into the case.

Established in 1964 shortly after Kenya gained independence from Britain, the Batuk base operates under a bilateral agreement allowing the UK to deploy up to six army battalions annually for training exercises.

However, the British military presence at the base has long been marred by allegations regarding the conduct of its personnel. In 2023, a Kenyan parliamentary inquiry was launched to examine claims of misconduct by British troops. Testimonies presented included reports of a hit-and-run incident and accusations that British soldiers had fathered children with local women before abandoning them upon returning to the UK.