Army chief asked about women ‘killed by British soldiers’ – his response was emphatic | World News

The murder of Agnes Wanjiru casts a long shadow over the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).

The old training post was based in the hometown of a 21-year-old single mother who was thrown into a hotel septic tank after being brutally murdered in 2012.

The man accused of killing her, Robert Purkiss, was stationed in Nanyuki for training with BATUK.

It took two months for that Kenya authorities to find Agnes’ body and a 13-year sentence to issue an arrest warrant for a former British soldier accused of murder.

His death had such a profound impact, over the years, that the Kenyan parliament’s defense committee launched a two-year investigation into BATUK’s conduct.

Last October, Agnes’ niece, Esther, told me that her aunt’s spirit was screaming and would not stop until justice was served. The picture he paints of Agnes’s suspended soul searching for resolution feels more real than imagined.

A visit by a Kenyan-born British military commander to his troops’ training ground allowed me to ask him questions about the complaints of Agnes’ family and others, who claimed to have suffered heavy losses at the hands of his troops.

General Sir Roland Walker responded to my request to share a message with Agnes’ family. He was firm and firm when delivering his response.

He said: “This matter must proceed to a full investigation and due process, and this must be looked at from the perspective of a court and prosecuted in accordance with the laws of this country.

“That’s what has to happen – justice has to be done, and justice has to be done.

“That is a matter for the courts, lawyers, police and investigations.”

Read more:
Kenyan niece ‘killed by British soldiers’ comes to UK
Agnes Wanjiru’s family welcomes the extradition process

Rose, Agnes’ older sister who is raising her late brother’s daughter, is full of hope.

After years of Agnes’ murder being buried, Rose’s daughter, Esther, managed to break through the stagnation and held meetings with British Defense Minister John Healey in Nairobi and London.

Purkiss is being held in Britain while court hearings regarding his extradition continue. He vehemently denies murder, according to his lawyer.

Surveillance of British troops in Kenya

The visit of the army operational commander was an important moment for the British troops training there. The UK-Kenya defense agreement is being scrutinized by the Kenyan parliament and the public.

The two countries forged a series of defense partnerships just months after Kenya gained independence from Britain.

For the people of Nanyuki, the British never left. This market town was first established as a white frontier settlement in the 1920s following the mass expulsion of the Maasai from the Laikipia plateau by British colonial forces.

Kenyan MP Caleb Amisi believes that local people in areas of British military activity still view them as colonial rulers.

He is a member of the parliamentary defense committee investigating claims of BATUK violations and calling for the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to be more balanced.

Mr Amisi said: “[Kenyans] believed that Britain was taking advantage, as a superpower, against third world countries such as Kenya. Britain is advanced, militarily, economically, and therefore they will become as interdependent a country as Kenya was to Britain.”

Complaints against British units

There are thousands of complaints of behavioral violations committed by BATUK from the local community, ranging from murder and rape to environmental damage.

The Lolldaiga Hills were damaged by fires during the BATUK exercise in 2021 which destroyed at least 7,000 hectares of conservation land. The UK Ministry of Defense accepted responsibility for the fire and reportedly paid £2.9 million to thousands of whistleblowers in compensation.

What does the British Army chief of general staff – who was born in Kenya and grew up here until he was eight – think about the sentiment that the British military presence is an occupying force and an extension of colonialism?

“I don’t recognize him,” Sir Roland said to me.

“We are here at the invitation of MOD Kenya. We have absolutely no right to be here. We realize it is an incredible honor to be able to do what we do in someone else’s country.”

Some families face irreparable loss. In one herding family in Samburu, a son was killed during a live shooting exercise in BATUK. Another young woman is now seriously disabled after she was hit by an oncoming BATUK truck, according to her mother.

General Walker said: “We do recognize that if they suffer harm as a result of anything that we may be responsible for, then it is absolutely vital that they have a voice and that voice is heard.”

He added that “we want to facilitate them to speak to the appropriate authorities, so that a proper investigation can be carried out, so that appropriate resolution and redress can be made. Therefore, a legal process is necessary.”

For Agnes’ family, the loss is irreversible. Any justice achieved may provide a basis for closure and peace for them, but it will never bring them back.