Kenya, UK Resolve BATUK Row as Military Training Resumes
Military training activities by the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) are set to resume after Kenya and the United Kingdom resolved a diplomatic standoff that had temporarily halted a key joint exercise.
The breakthrough paves the way for the resumption of Exercise Haraka Storm, a major military drill involving British and Kenyan troops, after the Kenyan government agreed to issue the licences and approvals required for the exercise to proceed later this year.
The development comes just days after the UK Ministry of Defence announced that the planned exercise in Laikipia had been suspended due to delays in renewing the Kenya–UK Defence Cooperation Agreement and the failure to obtain the necessary permits. The cancellation had sparked speculation that Britain was considering relocating some of its military training activities to another country.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi welcomed the latest agreement, describing the Kenya–UK defence partnership as one built on decades of mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to regional peace and security.
In a statement, the British government confirmed that the Kenyan government had agreed to issue the required licences, allowing military training to resume in Kenya later this year.
The resumption follows concerns raised by Kenyan lawmakers over the renewal of the defence cooperation agreement. Legislators have been pushing for stronger accountability measures, including greater jurisdiction for Kenyan courts in cases involving serious offences allegedly committed by British soldiers while training in the country.
The debate has been influenced by longstanding controversies surrounding BATUK, including the unresolved murder of Agnes Wanjiru in 2012 and environmental concerns linked to previous military exercises. While neither government addressed those cases in announcing the resumption of training, negotiations on the broader defence agreement are expected to continue.
BATUK, headquartered in Nanyuki, has maintained a longstanding military partnership with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). The UK has approximately 200 permanent military personnel in Kenya and trains more than 1,000 Kenyan soldiers annually, while also supporting regional security efforts, including operations against the al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia.
