Batuk legacy: Three women tell stories of abuse, abandonment

Three women who fell victim to British soldiers from the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) have spoken about their painful experiences.

Batuk, based at Nyati Barracks in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, operates under a long-standing, controversial defence agreement between Kenya and the UK. The women spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their safety. 

One woman, who worked as a bar attendant in Nanyuki town, met a British soldier at her workplace in November 2020. The relationship developed, with the soldier providing gifts and money.

When she became pregnant, he initially promised to support the child. “He said it was okay and he promised to take care of the baby,” the woman says. 

In April 2021, he stopped visiting. When she confronted him in another bar, he assaulted her, knocking out two of her teeth.

He later sent her Sh50,000 and told her to manage the pregnancy alone. She gave birth to a son of mixed race. The father has never returned or provided further support.

She faces stigma and rejection in her community for raising the child without a husband. She now calls on the UK government to comply with a London court order from late 2025 that requires disclosure of names of soldiers who fathered children in Kenya and abandoned them.

Another woman recounted an assault in 2016. A British soldier forced himself on her while claiming to be drunk. She became pregnant as a result. “It happened in 2016. I got pregnant, and before I gave birth, he was gone, and I have never heard from him again.”

A third woman, a middle-aged casual labourer at Lolldaiga Conservancy in Laikipia County, was three months pregnant in 2021.

During a BATUK training in the area, soldiers started a fire that produced thick, toxic smoke and strong fumes. She inhaled the smoke.

One week later, she suffered a stillbirth. Medical examination confirmed the smoke contained a harmful substance.

“It was later established that the smoke from the fire was toxic, and that is what caused the stillbirth.”

These accounts form part of a wider pattern of allegations against Batuk personnel in Laikipia and Samburu counties. In 2012, Agnes Wanjiru was killed at Lions Court Hotel in Nanyuki, with a British soldier implicated. Her family continues to seek full accountability. 

In December 2025, Kenya’s National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations published a 94-page report after a two-year investigation.

The report described a disturbing trend of sexual misconduct, including abuse, assault, and abandonment of children fathered by soldiers. It noted that most cases were dropped, mishandled, or left uninvestigated.

Hundreds of complaints from the early 2000s were handled internally by Batuk and closed without public disclosure.

The committee criticised Batuk officers for refusing to appear before it, citing diplomatic immunity, which it called institutional contempt for Kenyan parliamentary authority. 

It recommended amendments to the defence cooperation agreement to allow Kenyan courts’ jurisdiction over serious crimes such as sexual abuse and murder by foreign soldiers. 

The committee also called for a formal code of conduct for visiting troops, stronger protections for people and the environment, and arrangements for child maintenance support through negotiations with the UK. 

Last year, a London court  ordered the UK government to release names of soldiers who fathered and abandoned children in Kenya.

British Defence Secretary James Heappey expressed sympathy for Wanjiru’s family and offered to meet them, but clarified the meeting would not imply UK acceptance of responsibility. 

A lawyer representing affected women explained the difficulties in pursuing justice. Many victims remain silent due to trauma and fear. Old cases suffer from lost evidence and unavailable witnesses. 

“Getting witnesses to testify also remains an issue, while authorities do not give these cases the attention they deserve. But at times, we cannot blame them when you consider who is in charge in this whole scenario,” he said. 

“These violations need to stop. The solution is that simple. Take people to court and let them be charged. Delivery of justice is the best way of handling cases where no one is punished.” 

Batuk has operated in Kenya for decades and contributes economically by employing locals, purchasing supplies, and paying for land use.

The unit supports community projects such as building classrooms, drilling boreholes and running medical camps.

Despite these benefits, training exercises have caused harm through unexploded ordnance, land damage, and incidents such as the toxic fire that led to a stillbirth. 

Legal barriers, including claims of immunity, have left most incidents unresolved. Kenyan parliamentarians and human rights advocates insist on urgent reforms.