British Probe Finds Soldiers Still Paying Sex Workers in Kenya Despite Ban

A British Army inquiry has revealed that soldiers stationed at its training base in Kenya continue to use sex workers, despite a ban aimed at stamping out sexual exploitation abroad.

The investigation into the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) found that troops engaged in transactional sex at what was described as a “low to moderate” level. The findings, released last week, come almost three years after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) introduced a blanket ban on soldiers paying for sex while deployed overseas.

The inquiry, commissioned in October 2024 after an ITV investigation into Batuk, examined conduct at the base over a two-year period starting in July 2022. It identified 35 suspected cases in which British soldiers paid for sex. Most allegations were unproven, but investigators concluded that “transactional sexual activity” was still taking place among troops stationed near Nanyuki, about 200km (125 miles) north of Nairobi.

Allegations and Findings

Of the 35 suspected cases, 26 incidents occurred before mandatory training on the new rule began in November 2022. Nine were reported after the rule was widely disseminated. During the inquiry period, a total of 7,666 British soldiers rotated through the camp.

While investigators stressed the activity was “not out of control,” they cautioned that the army should assume the scale was at the upper end of “low to moderate.” In addition to the report’s findings, the UK’s Foreign Office confirmed fewer than five fresh cases are under investigation, all of which emerged after the inquiry concluded.

According to the BBC, Gen Sir Roly Walker, the UK’s Chief of the General Staff, condemned the practice in a statement:

“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.”

The inquiry panel, comprising two serving officers, a civil servant and an independent adviser, also assessed whether the army’s systems for preventing misconduct were effective. The report noted “sharkwatch patrols,” where senior non-commissioned officers accompany junior troops on nights out, and regular training on the rules. Still, it concluded the measures had not eradicated the problem.

Recommendations include making it easier to dismiss soldiers found to have engaged sex workers and introducing additional training.

Long-Standing Controversy

The latest report adds to years of scrutiny surrounding Batuk. The base, which has hosted British troops for decades, has frequently been at the centre of allegations of misconduct.

The most high-profile case remains the 2012 killing of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman and mother of one, allegedly murdered by a British soldier. Her body was found in a septic tank near a hotel where she was last seen with soldiers. That case resurfaced in 2021 when the Sunday Times alleged that soldiers knew the identity of the culprit but no one was prosecuted, sparking outrage in Kenya.

More recently, in June 2025, a soldier was sent back to the UK following an accusation of rape. Kenyan MPs are also conducting a separate inquiry into alleged abuses by Batuk personnel, ranging from physical injuries inflicted on locals to claims that some soldiers fathered children with Kenyan women and abandoned them upon returning home.