A British soldier accused of raping a woman near a UK military facility in Kenya has been arrested and sent back home as investigations continue.

The alleged assault happened last month after a group of soldiers visited a bar in Nanyuki town of Nanyuki, close to the Batuk (British Army Training Unit Kenya) camp, British media reported.

“We can confirm the arrest of a Service person in Kenya,” the UK defence ministry said in a statement.

“As the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command, we will not comment further.”

Unimaginable horror

Thousands of soldiers from the UK have trained each year at the facility in the East African nation over the past 60 years. Kenyans and rights groups have long complained about the British soldiers' behaviour around their training camp.

Last month TRT Afrika unveiled how women in Nanyuki area have for decades been haunted by the unimaginable horror meted on them by the British soldiers, including being gangraped.

Many survivors have chosen to remain silent. A few who have spoken out are ostracised by their communities, where being raped is seen as taboo.

In April, criminal investigators in Kenya said they had concluded a probe into the death of a young mother in 2012 who was last seen alive in the company of British solders who were in the country for training.

The body of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru was found in a septic tank at Nanyuki town weeks after witnesses said she was seen leaving a bar with British soldiers. Hefamily has in the past decried delayed justice because nobody had been charged in court.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey met Wanjiru’s relatives and vowed to “help the family secure the justice they deserve”.