More than 600 women got UK legal aid to pursue claims

Britain's military police are trying to identify individual soldiers who may face charges of raping women in Kenya.

The news is contained in a letter from the Royal Military Police to solicitor Martyn Day, who is representing hundreds of Maasai and Samburu tribeswomen making claims against the British Army.

The letter says some Kenyan police records relating to the rape claims, alleged to have taken place since the 1970s, are genuine.

This contradicts a claim last month by the British High Commission in Nairobi which said all the records seen so far were forgeries.

The letter, sent in early October, states that a large proportion of the records were indeed fake, but goes on to talk of others where further investigation is needed.

"Where a complainant reported an assault at the material time and where we are confident the evidence has not been fabricated, the complainant has been identified, interviewed and her testimony recorded," the letter said.

Lawyer Martyn Day received the key letter

Military police say suspects are being sought in Britain.

Identifying their units should be straightforward, the letter says, but tracing the individuals is likely to be protracted.

Mr Day said the letter suggested "a significant number of cases that have passed through the first filter process, of genuine police records".

The British solicitor has talked of an epidemic of rape and is seeking a multi-million pound compensation package.

But he has also now conceded up to 80% of the women may be lying.

He said the figure of 100 rapes was now, as he put it, his "bottom line".

Mr Day said he had a "very sceptical" eye in relation to the claims after having acted for claimants in cases of unexploded ordnance left by British troops in Kenya.

Out of 5,500 initial claims, in this area, he says his firm has accepted 1,100 - or 20 per cent - as genuine.

The British investigation is set to continue in Kenya with officers focusing on two training areas in the hills north of Mount Kenya.

The investigators will be looking at documents which show that British and Kenyan officials met as far back as 1983 to discuss rape allegations.

Local human rights groups claim there was a cover up.