British Army Training Unit Kenya

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) maintains a longstanding Defence Cooperation Agreement with the Kenyan Government whereby up to six British infantry battalions (10,000 service personnel) per year may carry out eight-week exercises on Kenya Ministry of Defence land at Archer's Post and in Laikipia County. The exercises are run by BATUK from its base at Nyati Barracks in Nanyuki, 200 km north of the capital. Britain offers training opportunities in the UK to the Kenyan military and conducts joint exercises with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). From 2019 to 2021, the British Army and the Kenyan Defence Forces conducted five joint training exercises from BATUK, involving around 600 Kenyan troops and 4,500 British troops. in Kenya undergoing intensive training to be the British Army's next Spearhead Lead Element - a rapid response force. Exercise Askari Storm training during Exercise Askari Storm. Battle Group in an RWMIK during Exercise Askari Storm. Units such as 2nd Battalion The Rifles, 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, 2nd Battalion & 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment have all taken part in the exercise in recent years. As part of Exercise Askari Storm in 2020, troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade practised moving 400 people away from danger. During the exercise, troops rehearsed the vital skills needed to move endangered people out of the way of disease, a natural disaster or conflict. An assault force from 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment parachuted in to secure an airfield, with additional troops and vehicles following on. Soldiers fanned out across the countryside to protect citizens from the UK and allied countries, bringing them back to the airstrip for food, shelter and medical care, before being flown out to safety. Anti poaching The British Army is taking a key role against the illegal wildlife trade killing rhinos and elephants in Africa. Since 2013, British soldiers have joined forces with Kenyan anti-poaching groups in an effort to crack down on illegal wildlife crime. British Army paratroopers have previously provided patrolling and field training to members of the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenyan Forestry Service (KFS), and Mount Kenya Trust (MKT). In 2015, the BATUK Infrastructure Development Programme began to improve the infrastructure of BATUK. As part of the programme, the new Nyati Barracks was opened in January 2021, located in Nanyuki, to replace previous infrastructure and provide a training headquarters, welfare facilities, accommodation, mess, offices, stores, and exercise buildings. The programme provided approximately 400 jobs for Locally Employed Civilians (LECs) and local contractors and included around 30 women working in traditionally male dominated trades, including electrical and plastering work. == British Army installations in Kenya ==

The International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) is an associated multinational organisation located in Nairobi County, with inputs from numerous allies. Britain funds around 30% of the training courses that run at the IPSTC, including improvised explosive device disposal. == Target of crime ==

BATUK has also been a major target for theft and break-ins from the local Kenyan population; in 2016, it was reported that an SA80 assault rifle had been stolen from British soldiers on exercise and used to murder a Kenyan police chief. The weapon was reported missing a month before the murder and a Kenya Police Service investigation found the weapon had been used in the shooting incident. In 2021, a representative of BATUK revealed that the Kenyan Police were investigating the theft of two British Army Land Rovers, and associated equipment, including tyres, worth millions of pounds, from the BATUK base at Nanyuki. Three Kenyan men were arrested for allegedly trying to break into the base in 2020, Kenyan police said the three suspects were spotted on CCTV attempting to forcedly enter the base, hours after the attack on a US Army base in Kenya by al-Shabaab militants which killed 3 Americans. == Crimes and injuries ==

British soldiers serving in Kenya have been involved in criminal acts. Allegations have included alleged murder, child kidnapping, and environmental damage. No British personnel have ever been charged or convicted, and some diplomatic disputes have arisen as a result. In September 2015, talks between former British Prime Minister David Cameron and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta resulted in an agreement which clarified that British soldiers would be tried in Kenya, but not necessarily to Kenyan law, and that British military sites would be subject to Kenyan inspection. Additionally, increased training opportunities were to be offered to Kenyan troops. Fire at Lolldaiga In March 2021, a fire was reported at the Lolldaiga Conservancy in Nanyuki. The fire, which was allegedly caused by a military exercise by the 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment, gained public attention after a British soldier in Kenya allegedly posted on Snapchat during the incident: “Two months in Kenya later and we've only got eight days left. Been good, caused a fire, killed an elephant and feel terrible about it but hey-ho, when in Rome." However, the Kenya Wildlife Service said no elephants had actually died. The fire burned down 12,000 acres (nearly 50 square kilometres) of land in central Kenya. Three helicopters, a crop-sprayer aircraft and four water tanker trucks from BATUK assisted in helping put out the fire. The exercise was paused, while all British personnel worked to fight the blaze. The British Army said 350 British and Kenyan troops had been deployed to stop the fire in Lolldaiga. The UK High Commissioner in Nairobi Jane Marriott said:“Accidents do happen. It’s not great and we’re really sorry and we really wish it hadn’t happened…We’re doing everything we can to mitigate those circumstances and put in place measures to ensure it never happens again.” May 2025 incident Another incident involving an alleged rape was reported to have occurred in May 2025. A soldier was arrested for this incident in June 2025. ==Unexploded ordnance==

Kenyan civilians have been maimed or killed by unexploded ordnance (UXO) from British army exercises. All exercises are carried out with the agreement of the Kenyan authorities. Land used for exercises is routinely searched on completion of training to make it safe. The British government has contended that civilian injuries only occur when civilians illegally encroach onto the marked training areas. Unexploded ordnance may also be left by the Kenyan Army which shares the training areas. Class action settlements In 2002, the UK Ministry of Defence agreed to pay £4.5m in compensation to 228 Kenyan civilians injured or bereaved by UXO. A further payout for more than a thousand claimants was authorised in 2004. Death of Robert Swara Seurei In 2007, Robert Swara Seurei died after igniting a piece of plastic explosive. Seurei had been hired by BATUK to clear debris from an exercise, where he found the device. He believed it was a candle and lit it at home, resulting in tragedy. UK defence minister James Heappey said there were "a number of contributing factors" to his death. He said: "Mr Seurei had not understood the safety briefings and the dangers of removing items from the range (due to language barriers); inadequate supervision; premature removal of safety posts marking the hazardous area (before a thorough daylight check had taken place); and incorrect fitting of a safety fuse, which meant that the explosive did not ignite as intended during the exercise." Injury in Samburu In November 2015, a 10-year-old boy in Samburu was injured by UK ordnance. An MOD spokesperson said: "[T]roops from the British Army Training Unit Kenya administered life-saving first aid to the child. The boy was airlifted between the two hospitals he was treated at by British troops, which was at the consent of the Head Doctor and the boy’s father. The unit is fully supporting investigations into what happened." Allegations by Kenyan Members of Parliament that the boy was abducted by British troops seeking to cover up what had happened were firmly rejected by the spokesman, who called them "wildly untrue, inaccurate and complete nonsense." Maiming of Lisoka Lesasuyan In 2015, a 13-year-old Samburu boy, Lisoka Lesasuyan, lost both arms and an eye after picking up a mortar fuze near Archers Post. BATUK agreed to pay compensation to the boy's father. The type of fuze involved in the incident was withdrawn from British army service in 2019. It contained an explosive which the UK Ministry of Defence had known to be unstable since 2009. In 2021, another 13-year-old boy received burns from a flare dropped at Archers Post training area. ==Kenyan parliamentary report==

In December 2015, a new Kenyan parliamentary report accused British troops training in the country of widespread killings, sexual abuse, and human rights and environmental violations, saying years of misconduct had led locals to view them as an "occupying force." Despite BATUK's long-standing presence and economic contributions, communities reported injuries from mishandled explosives, abuses against women, and abandoned children. After years without accountability, Kenya had amended its defence pact in 2024 to allow local prosecutions, and in 2025 the UK agreed to a £2.9m settlement for thousands of claimants. It was reported that the UK had also begun supporting restoration efforts in areas damaged by military exercises. == See also ==