Squaddies forced to have unprotected sex with Kenyan prostitutes during initiation ceremonies to prove how ‘brave’ they are

British soldiers training in Kenya have held initiation ceremonies in which younger recruits are forced to have unprotected sex with prostitutes, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Senior soldiers reportedly toss a coin to determine whether the squaddie is wearing a condom, to prove how ‘brave’ they are.

These claims have alarmed defense chiefs because of high HIV/Aids rates in Kenya, which affects one in 20 people.

Around 10,000 British troops are sent to Kenya every year to conduct live firing exercises for up to eight weeks.

On their return, soldiers were questioned about the use of prostitutes, who loiter outside the base, for a study published in the British Medical Journal Military Health.

On their return, soldiers were questioned about the use of prostitutes, who loiter outside the base, for a study published in the British Medical Journal Military Health. (Stock Image)

One soldier, who has not been identified, told the MoD: ‘When this unit deploys for exercises (at the British Army Training Unit Kenya), they hold an opening ceremony for all new soldiers who have not been deployed to Kenya before.

‘The senior soldiers tossed a coin: if you had heads you could use a condom, if tails you couldn’t.’

The report, written by the Defense Medical Services, found that although a sexual health guide is issued on arrival in the East African country, the number of soldiers seeking help for related illnesses has increased compared to British troops.

It also found that a third of squaddies could not remember receiving the advice.

Five percent of the Kenyan population is HIV positive, compared to 0.2 percent in Britain.

The report states that the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease from a sex worker not only has the potential to reduce the operational effectiveness of the unit, but also poses a ‘global reputational risk’.

Former army intelligence officer Philip Ingram criticized military leadership over the incidents. “Sexual health is part of annual training for all service personnel,” he said.

‘To hear that soldiers are being forced into some form of sexual initiation ceremony… where HIV rates are very high, shocks me to my core. (It) once again highlights a failure of leadership and that the culture in the military is still fundamentally broken.”

The report warned of a growing use of prostitutes near the British base in Nanyuki, Kenya, with some services even offered in barber shops, as revealed by a senior officer who had taken up grooming.

“Once the haircut was completed, he was led into a back room and shown a number of female sex workers,” the report said. ‘The hairdresser then asked if he wanted ‘extra services’. ‘

The officer said he was shocked by the sudden events and said he narrated the encounter to show other soldiers how close sex workers are and to advise soldiers on “how to politely decline similar offers.”

A Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: ‘All sexual activities that involve abuse of power, including the purchase of sex, both in Britain and abroad, are prohibited.

‘We are committed to preventing sexual exploitation in any form.’