British soldiers at controversial base continue to use sex workers despite ban

Some British Army soldiers are using sex workers at a controversial base in Africa despite being banned from doing so, an investigation has found. A report from the British Army has found military personnel at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) used prostitutes at a "low or moderate" level.

The report was commissioned in October last year after an ITV investigation into soldiers' behaviour at the base uncovered allegations some soldiers were paying to have sex with local women. Concerns had previously been raised about BATUK after local woman, Agnes Wanjiru, was alleged to have been killed in 2012 by a British soldier who was stationed at the base.

In October 2021, Labour demanded an inquiry into Ms Wanjiru's death when the party was in opposition. John Healey, then Shadow Defence Secretary, called at the time for justice to be done.

A ban on members of the armed forces using sex workers was introduced by the Ministry of Defence in 2022 in a bid to stop abuse and sexual exploitation in the military.

In a statement, UK Chief of Defence Staff Gen Sir Roly Walker said the findings of the Service Inquiry he commissioned concluded that "transactional sex" is still happening in Kenya "at a low or moderate level".

He added: "It should not be happening at all." Gen Sir Roly added: "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."

Four people took part in the investigation, including two serving officers, an independent advisor and a civil servant, according to the BBC.

An army policy entitled JSP 769: Zero Tolerance to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse was published in July 2022.

The report found that of 35 instances of soldiers using sex workers, 26 took place in the period between JSP 769's publication date and training on JSP 769 being fully delivered across the army by late November of the same year.

There were 7,666 British soldiers serving at the base at that time, according to army records cited in the report.

In the majority of cases, the allegation soldiers paid for sex wasn't proven, the report said.

The army vowed to implement recommendations from the report. This includes making it easier to dismiss military personnel who have used sex workers.