A British soldier has died while off duty in Kenya, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Maj Kevin McCool, 32, was reportedly on a motorcycle trip off base when he was attacked. The MoD said he died on 29 November but that it would not be releasing any more details. His next of kin have been informed.
The UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, described his death as a “tragic loss”. He said: “It’s clear from the tributes of those who knew him that Maj McCool was an exceptional person and an exceptional soldier, loved and respected in equal measure, who served his country with distinction.
“My thoughts and sympathies are with his family, friends, and colleagues currently coming to terms with this most tragic loss.”
The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said: “My heart goes out to Maj McCool’s family, friends and fellow soldiers today in the face of their tragic loss. The tributes pouring out for him show a man who served his country with pride, integrity and bravery. His service will not be forgotten.”
McCool was commissioned from Sandhurst in August 2014 and served in Europe, the Middle East, the Falklands and Africa. “As well as a glittering operational record, he also aced many of the military’s hardest courses. His fitness was legendary, once beating the whole battalion on a two-miler, as was his endurance,” the MoD said.
His commanding officer said McCool “was living his best life, doing a job he loved, with people he loved”.
He added: “I will never forget my final memory of him, which was on operations; he had just come off the ground having slept a handful of hours in as many days. We discussed the possibility of having to deploy another team into the operational furnace from which he had just come. He stopped me mid-sentence, fixed me with his piercing blue eyes, and simply said: ‘Send me.’
“A bright light has gone out amongst our ranks. He will be missed, but never forgotten.”
The commanding officer said McCool was “the best of us”, adding: “Kevin McCool’s eyes shone with his spirit of adventure and with his focused, determined nature. He was a pilgrim soul in the truest sense. Intelligent, proactive and selfless, he was at his best and at his happiest whilst serving others and whilst facing challenges ‘in the arena’.
“As a soldier, his courage and talent were proven on operations. As a leader, he had a compelling character and easy charm that all who met him warmed to. And as a man, he had a deep humility which displayed a wisdom beyond his years.”
The British army has a permanent training support unit based mainly in Nanyuki, 124 miles north of Nairobi, with a small element also based in Kenya’s capital.
It provides “demanding training to exercising units preparing to deploy on operations or assume high-readiness tasks”, according to the army’s website.
The British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) consists of about 100 permanent staff and a reinforcing short-tour cohort of another 280 personnel.
Under an agreement with the Kenyan government, up to six infantry battalions a year carry out eight-week exercises in Kenya. (Guardian)