A landmark public inquiry into allegations of human rights abuses by British forces in Kenya has heard ‘heartbreaking’ testimony from those who say they were abused.
Dozens of people this week gave evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into the alleged misconduct of soldiers from the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk).
They include the family of a young woman reportedly left disabled in a collision by a British Army truck, a mother who says she was abandoned while pregnant, and a man killed by a lion was torn apart after a fire allegedly broke out. an army exercise.
The Batuk base in Nanyuki, about 200km north of the capital Nairobi, was established in 1964 shortly after the East African nation gained independence from Britain.
Kenyan Defense Minister Aden Duale has said Kenya will pursue prosecution for any British soldier found to have broken the law while deployed over the decades.
The British High Commission in Kenya told the BBC that it was aware of the proceedings and that it – and Batuk – intended to cooperate with the investigation.
Hundreds of people have flocked to four public hearings near the Batuk base this week to listen to emotional accounts of alleged misconduct by British soldiers.
Memusi Lochede testified that British officials promised to care for her 22-year-old daughter Chaula Memusi, who is in a wheelchair after she was reportedly injured by a British army truck in an accident in January 2019.
“They sent a representative to tell me they didn’t want a trial and that they would look after my daughter,” the 45-year-old mother told one of the hearings held outside under a marquee at Archers Post. the British Army conducts infantry exercises.
Under an agreement with the Kenyan government, up to six infantry battalions conduct eight-week exercises in Kenya each year.
Mrs Lochede said they had paid her daughter’s hospital bills for two years but had failed to pay compensation as promised.
Lino Lemaramba told the BBC that he witnessed the accident and was shocked to see the British army truck drive away after the collision. He stopped to help Mrs. Memusi.
“It was a Batuk truck, I tried to stop it but it kept moving,” he claimed.
“It was a tragic scene, blood everywhere, her bones were crushed… people were afraid to touch her,” he said, describing the difficulty of lifting her into his pickup and taking her to the hospital .
Another emotional testimony during that hearing came from 28-year-old Generica Namoru, who was accompanied by her five-year-old daughter.
She told members of the inquiry, set up by Kenya’s parliamentary defense committee, that she became pregnant while in a consensual relationship with a British soldier stationed in Batuk.
When she told him she was pregnant, he ended the relationship and left Kenya so she could raise the child alone. They kept in touch for a while and she told him about the birth of their daughter, but then all communication stopped.
“All I want is child support so my child can go to school and have a better future,” she said.
The hearings also heard evidence from a series of people who said they had suffered serious health problems following a fire allegedly set by British soldiers during a training exercise in a nature reserve in 2021.
The fire, which reportedly lasted four days, destroyed more than 4,856 hectares of land and left at least one person dead.
Lipaso Legei, who wore a traditional Maasai outfit during the hearing, testified that he was lucky to be alive after being attacked by a lion that moved closer to human settlements after the fire destroyed its natural habitat.
“I was mauled by a lion. Under this shuka (Maasai cloth) I have injuries on my back, I almost died.”
He added that farming had also become impossible: “We cannot plant maize, animals continue to invade, our dogs have been torn apart by hyenas and leopards.”
Several people said they had developed serious breathing and eye problems. Simon Kaburu presented his medical records to MPs and explained that he needed medication to address “chest problems after smoke inhalation”.
It is believed that more than 7,000 local people have taken legal action against the British army after the fire.
The investigation was largely inspired by the shocking case of Agnes Wanjiru.
Her body was found in a septic tank in 2012 after the 21-year-old was apparently spotted with a group of British soldiers on a night out.
A 2019 inquest concluded that she was murdered by one or two British soldiers.
During the public inquiry this week, further allegations emerged that Batuk and Kenyan authorities were involved in covering up her death.
Ms Wanjiru’s niece Esther Njoki spoke during one of the hearings at the Nanyuki Social Hall on Tuesday about the family’s frustration over the delay in possible prosecution.
“We want closure, we demand justice,” she said.
Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigation opened an investigation into the death but has not charged anyone and Kenya has not requested the extradition of any suspects.
Britain has indicated that it will not oppose a request for the extradition of a suspect.
MP Nelson Koech, chairman of Kenya’s parliamentary defense committee, told the BBC that some of the allegations heard during the hearings were “new and heartbreaking”.
“It struck me that things have happened here, whether they are true or not, we will see,” he said.
The defense minister said in a TV interview this week that Kenya had benefited from its historic defense partnership with Britain and said Batuk employed more than 1,500 local people.
But Mr Duale said the current investigation could lead to the government seeking closer cooperation with Britain on the issues raised, adding: “All criminal acts committed on our territory will be dealt with in the host country, i.e. Kenya.”
A spokesperson for the British High Commission in Kenya said: “We are aware that the Kenya National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations is conducting a parliamentary inquiry into Batuk’s activities in Kenya. The British High Commission in Nairobi and Batuk plan to cooperate with the investigation.
“The defense partnership between Britain and Kenya is one of the strengths of our relationship and our joint training and operations with the Kenyan Armed Forces are keeping both the Kenyan and British people safe.”
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