UK cancels Kenya army training amid dispute over defence pact and jurisdiction

The British Army has halted a planned training exercise in Kenya after the Kenyan Parliament refused to ratify a bilateral defence agreement. Kenyan legislators sought changes that would give local authorities the power to prosecute British soldiers for offences committed on Kenyan soil, a point of contention with the United Kingdom, which currently retains jurisdiction over its troops while on duty. The cancellation affects a September exercise involving the 1st Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which will now be relocated to the UK.

Kenyan Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee chair Nelson Koech said the two governments are “actively engaging to address these outstanding issues.” The UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson expressed regret, noting that “the necessary licences required to allow training to take place in Laikipia later this year have not been forthcoming” and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the defence partnership. The dispute also touches on disagreements over payment for use of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) facilities.

The row revives past controversy surrounding the base, including a 2012 case in which Kenyan woman Agnes Wanjiru was allegedly murdered by a British soldier, and a parliamentary report that described the troops as an “occupying presence” and cited allegations of killings, sexual abuse and human‑rights violations.