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 four-week exercises on Kenya Ministry of Defence land at Archer's Post and in Laikipia County.[3] The hot conditions and rugged terrain are unavailable in the UK and present an opportunity for British soldiers to improve their skills through training.

The exercises are run by BATUK from its base at Nyati Barracks in Nanyuki, 200 km north of the capital. In addition three Royal Engineers squadrons carry out civil engineering projects, while two medical company group deployments provide primary health care assistance to the civilian community. Britain offers training opportunities in the UK to the Kenyan military and conducts joint exercises with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). It also supports Kenya's struggle against Al Shabaab, including the deployment of British personnel to Somalia to provide the KDF with logistical support and contributions towards anti-terrorism training for the Kenya Police and border guards.

BATUK has been the centre of several diplomatic disputes between the British and Kenyan governments.[1] In 2013, a British Army sergeant fatally shot an armed Kenyan after believing they were intruding and preparing to commit theft. This escalated an ongoing dispute which centred around Kenyan jurisdiction over British personnel and whether or not they should be tried in Kenya for any violations of Kenyan law.[1] The sergeant was confined to barracks for seven months whilst an investigation was underway, before being removed from the country.[4] A similar incident occurred in 2011 but did not result in a fatality.[5]

Allegations have also been made that up to 50 Kenyans (mostly farmers) have been killed by unexploded British ordnance since 1945 and that British military equipment has been subject to large-scale theft by Kenyans.[1] A 10-year-old Kenyan boy was also alleged to have been abducted by British troops after he had been injured by UK ordnance — an allegation which was strongly denied by the British government.[1] Kenyan media has also alleged that British personnel have been involved in fatal hit-and-runs, mass brawls and murder but not identified or persecuted.[6]

The British government has contended that civilian injuries only occur when civilians illegally encroach onto the marked training areas and that any unexploded ordnance may also be left by the Kenyan Army which shares the training areas.[1]

In September 2015, talks between British Prime Minister David Cameron and 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.[1]

In 2015, the BATUK Infrastructure Development Programme began to improve the infrastructure of BATUK.[7] Previously, the BATUK HQ, offices, stores and training support facilities were situated on land leased from the Nanyuki Agricultural Society, which had to be vacated each year to make way for an agricultural show. The BATUK Infrastructure Development Programme will establish new permanent facilities at Laikipia Air Base East (LAB(E)), a former RAF station which is now occupied by the Kenyan Air Force.[2]

As part of the programme, a new barracks was opened in January 2021, located in Nanyuki, to be used for "something beyond just training".[8]