Women accuse British soldiers of ‘historic mass rape’ during training in Kenya from 1965 to 2001

Women in Kenya have accused British Army soldiers of “raping” women and abandoning their children.

Hundreds of women have made allegations against soldiers serving or in training over the years, and their mixed-race children grew up without ever knowing the identities of their fathers. A July 2023 report by Amnesty International shows that around 650 rape allegations were made against British soldiers between 1965 and 2001.

The report suggests that the women who made the allegations suffered severe physical injuries and long-lasting psychological trauma as a result of the attack. Some women reportedly suffered miscarriages immediately after the attack, it added.

Marian Pannalossy, a 17-year-old from Archer’s Post, about 200 miles from Nairobi, says she is ostracized because of her light skin. Her mother, Lydia Juma, is one of those who has claimed to have been raped. Marian told CNN: “They call me ‘mzungu maskini’ or a poor white girl. They always say, ‘Why are you here? Just looking for connections so you can go to your own people.'”

“‘You don’t belong here. You shouldn’t suffer here.'”

Her mother had already stated in the 2011 documentary “The Rape of the Samburu Women” that her then-partner left her when he found out that her baby – little Marian – was biracial. In the program, she said: “I don’t know why God is punishing me. I don’t understand it. The moment he saw that the child was ‘white’, he left, and he left forever.”

According to the British Army, BATUK is a permanent training support unit based primarily in Nanyuki, 200km north of Nairobi. It consists of 100 permanent personnel and a reinforcement cohort of a further 280 for short-term deployments. Under an agreement with the Kenyan government, up to six infantry battalions conduct eight-week exercises in Kenya each year.

Lawyers have since launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the “abandoned children of British soldiers”. It states: “A lesser known problem in the BATUK camp is the neglect of children born to Kenyan women by British soldiers. These children stand out in the local community as they are clearly mixed race. Tragically, not all of these relationships were consensual. In all cases, even the consensual ones, the soldiers left the camp after their deployment and were never heard from again.

This fundraiser is to help pay for the basic living expenses of these children, including school fees, rent and maintenance. Ultimately, these children want to find their fathers and if there is enough money left over after basic living expenses are covered, this fundraiser will be used to cover legal fees and help in the search for their biological fathers.”

A spokesperson for the British High Commission told CNN: “All sexual activity involving abuse of power, including the purchase of sex, whether in the UK or abroad, is prohibited. We are committed to preventing sexual exploitation in any form and to investigating and holding accountable any military personnel involved.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We expect very high standards of conduct from our personnel, whether on duty or off duty. We take all allegations against British military personnel extremely seriously and they are investigated swiftly by the serving authorities or the Kenyan authorities with appropriate assistance from the armed forces.”

The Mirror has asked the Foreign Office for comment.