Calls to Review Kenya-British Army Relations as Laikipia Communities Speak Out on Abuses

Kenya, 19 December 2025 - For decades, communities in Laikipia County have lived with allegations of human rights violations linked to the presence of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), ranging from sexual violence and abandoned explosives to environmental destruction and abandoned children.

Now, human rights groups, paralegals and victims are once again demanding accountability from both the Kenyan government and the British authorities.

Vocal Africa, a rights advocacy organization, says the continued silence and delays in addressing these grievances have deepened pain among affected families and eroded public trust.

“We strongly condemn the long-standing human rights violations associated with BATUK soldiers in Laikipia,” said Vocal Africa officer Ms Nahida Kassim.

“For years, community members have raised concerns about rape cases, environmental degradation and abandoned military explosives that have left residents with permanent physical disabilities.”

Kassim said women and girls who have been violated continue to suffer mental and psychological trauma, warning that inaction would only worsen mistrust and suffering in the region.

“Our appeal to the Kenyan government and the British High Commission is to take full responsibility and accountability,” she said.

“We must link victims to proper mechanisms for justice and review the bilateral agreements governing foreign military presence to ensure human rights, environmental protection and dignity are prioritized.”

She added that no security partnership should come at the expense of Kenyan lives, land and sovereignty. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” Kassim said, calling for transparency and decisive action.

Beyond environmental and sexual abuse claims, children allegedly fathered by BATUK soldiers remain a stark symbol of the unresolved crisis.

According to paralegal Michael Monica, many of these children are living in poverty and facing discrimination within their own communities.

“Some DNA tests have already confirmed paternity,” Monica said. “While a few soldiers who returned to the United Kingdom have accepted responsibility, others continue to deny it.”

He urged the British High Commission to intervene and ensure the children receive support.

Monica also faulted compensation awarded to women who won rape cases in court, describing the payments as inadequate.

“The compensation was peanuts. That matter must be revisited,” he said.

For the victims, the impact is deeply personal.