The National Assembly has voted to introduce several amendments to the defense agreement with Britain following accusations that the British troops committed serious offenses, breaching the country's laws as well as international legal norms, media reported.
The amendments provide in particular for murder to be added as one of the offenses that must be prosecuted under Kenyan law. This comes amid stalled progress on the case of Agnes Wanjiru, who was allegedly killed by a British soldier in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, in 2012.
The amended agreement is now expected to go to the Kenyan Ministry of Defence for further consideration and consultation with the UK.
The changes to the defense deal were initially proposed to the parliament by a Defense and Foreign Relations Committee. The committee's chair Nelson Koech stated that the proposal is made on account "of the slow pace of the wheels of justice in the case" of Wanjiru.
"This recommendation will ensure that visiting troops undertake their training, within Kenyan Law. We don't want a repeat of the Ms. Agnes Wanjiru incident," he underscored.
However, the changes to the agreement, which were voted through this week, are not retroactive. This means that the way the Wanjiru case in particular is being investigated won't be changed in accordance with the amendments.
Previously, the County Government of Laikipia, where the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) is based under the defense cooperation agreement, submitted a memorandum raising concerns over British troops's activities in the county, referring to deaths, injuries and other alleged offenses. The British short-term military training teams are deployed in Kenya to build the capacity of military forces and enhance the response to security threats.