October 6, 2025

Some soldiers using sex workers despite the ban, survey reveals

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An investigation by the British army revealed that some soldiers stationed in a controversial base in Kenya continue to use sex workers despite their ban.

The soldiers of the British army training unit Kenya (Batuk) used sex workers “at a low or moderate level”, according to a report, adding that more work was necessary to eliminate practice.

The investigation covered a period of more than two years, examining driving at the base dating from July 2022.

It was put into service in October 2025 following an investigation by the British media ITV in the behavior of Batuk soldiers, including allegations that certain members of the army staff paid local women for sex.

The ITV documentary followed the previous concerns raised about Batuk after the death in 2012 of a local woman Agnes Wanjiru, who was allegedly killed by a British soldier stationed at the base.

Since then, a series of allegations have been made on the conduct of troops on the training site, which is near the city of Nanyuki 200 km (125 miles) north of the capital of Kenya Nairobi.

British defense chief of defense staff Sir Roly Walker said in a statement that the army was determined to stop sexual exploitation by those of its ranks.

“The conclusions of the service survey that I ordered conclude that transactional sex always occurs in Kenya at a low to moderate level. This should not happen at all,” he said.

“There is absolutely no place for sexual exploitation and the abuses on the part of the people of the British army. He disagree with what it means to be a British soldier. This attacks vulnerable and benefits those who seek to take advantage of abuse and exploitation,” he added.

The investigation survey on the service has been carried out over two years by a panel of four people, including two officers in service, an official and an independent advisor.

He studied the behavior of the troops stationed in Batuk and evaluated army systems to prevent violations of its JSP 769 regulation which prohibits soldiers from paying for sex.

The report details 35 cases in which Batuk soldiers were suspected of having paid for sex, because the advice for soldiers on the rule were published in July 2022. During this period, 7,666 British soldiers served at the base.

He notes that from these, 26 cases occurred before the training of the new rule was launched for all army staff in November of the same year, with nine cases reported since then. In the majority of cases, the allegation that soldiers had paid for sex has never been proven.

In addition to the detailed persons in the report, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the BBC that there were a small number – less than five cases – alleged use cases of sex workers currently under investigation. The alleged incidents occurred after the conclusion of the investigation.

The report indicates that despite the training provided by the army and the control measures in place, the reality was that “transactional sexual activity” by British personnel in Kenya always took place, and that “the level is between low and moderate”.

“It is not out of control, but the best way for the army to manage the risk is that the army assumed that it can be at the upper end of this scale between low and moderate,” added the report.

The report noted that the efforts of the army to eliminate the practice, in particular regular training and the use of “Sharkwatch” patrols with a higher Sargeant Rank or superior officer to monitor the driving of junior staff when they left the database for the nights.

The army said that it would implement recommendations from the report, in particular by facilitating the dismissal of soldiers who used sex workers and the implementation of additional training.

The report follows years of controversy on the conduct of Batuk soldiers launched by an investigation by the Sunday Times in 2021 which revealed the alleged participation of a British soldier in the murder of Mrs. Wanjiru, a mother of the one whose body was found in a septic pit near a hotel where she had been seen with soldiers at night when she disappeared.

Separately in Kenya, the deputies conducted an investigation into broader allegations of social ill -treatment of the local population by Batuk soldiers and heard complaints during the public hearings of injuries which would have been suffered by the behavior of the British troops and soldiers responding to children to Kenyan mothers, then abandon them to their return.

In June of this year, a soldier parked at the base was sent back to the United Kingdom after being accused of rape.

The service investigation behind the last report said that she had spoken to many local Kenyans and had found “the vast majority” of local residents were satisfied with the presence of Camp Batuk.


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