Samburu, Kenya: The British High Commission has dismissed claims that its troops in Samburu kidnapped a boy seriously injured by their explosives.
Samburu Women Representative Maison Leshomo and Samburu East MP Raphael Letimalo had demanded that British soldiers disclose the whereabouts of 10-year-old Ekisonga Nyasasai, claiming they had kidnapped him.
But a statement from the British High Commission in Nairobi Monday said the boy is with his father at Nanyuki Cottage Hospital, where he was airlifted by British troops for specialised treatment.
It said the airlift of the boy was done with the full knowledge and permission of his father, since the required specialised treatment could not be carried out at Wamba hospital, where he was initially admitted after getting first aid from British troops.
"On Friday November 13, with the agreement of the Head Doctor at Wamba and the child's father, he was airlifted by British troops to Nanyuki Cottage Hospital for surgery," read the statement.
The statement added that all funding for the child's treatment is being provided through voluntary donations from British troops and their families.
The British High Commission said the incident in which the boy was injured is being investigated by the Archers Post Kenya Police Service, assisted by the Kenya Defence Forces and British Army Training Unit Kenya.
The commission said the UK conducts an annual clearance exercise with the Kenyan Army Engineer Branch to locate and safely dispose explosives.