Fresh evidence has come to light in the case of Mantoi Lekoloi Kaunda, the 16-year-old Kenyan girl who was allegedly raped and murdered by British soldiers in the late 1990s.
Her sister Noldonyio Piro, who survived the attack, says she was raped by a British soldier the same day.
“I saw two white soldiers in army uniform a long way away. One chased me and hit me hard on the back of my head. I fell down and he stood on my arm and it snapped. He was sitting on my back. He was raping me. And then I passed out.”
Mantoi was pregnant at the time. She died in the Samburu region, an area often used by UK troops for training.
Her body was exhumed in 2004. The autopsy results weren’t released 20 years ago because the British army and investigators kept them secret, likely to protect the soldiers and avoid responsibility.
However, her family has only now learned the full details of the autopsy.
The Kaunda Case Cause of Death: 7 Broken Ribs
The secret report shows that Mantoi had seven broken ribs, with six on the right side and one on the left.
The pathologists explained that there was no healing reaction. This means the fractures happened shortly before her death.
X-rays also showed a single, long, clean break running along one side of her rib cage. The pathologist suggested the injuries may have been caused by the force of a heavy soldier’s boot, which many locals could not afford then.
Investigators also found a battery in her grave that is similar to those used by the British army. The battery was buried about two feet below the surface. Its importance has been debated because Mantoi’s father carried out the burial several kilometers away from the attack site.
Mantoi’s sister, Noldonyio Piro, said she was angry that the autopsy results were kept from her family for 20 years:
“Why didn’t the British army share this report with me 20 years ago? What else haven’t they told us?”
The British troops have been accused of abusing and raping many Samburu and Maasai women and abandoning children. Notably. this includes the 2012 killing of Agnes Wanjiru.
Later, a bigger investigation called Operation Tasker dismissed many similar claims as “forgeries.”
The UK Ministry of Defence has also refused to release more files, though lawyers and human rights groups say the new evidence could reopen the case.
Despite official denials, a recent MoD report admitted that soldiers are still paying Kenyan women for sex, even after a 2022 ban.
Nearly 30 years later, Mantoi’s family is still asking for the truth. Her sister says the exact words: “We want the truth. We want justice for my sister.”
Full details here.
By Vivian K.