NAIROBI, Kenya — A parliamentary committee has implicated British Army personnel operating in Laikipia and Samburu in a series of grave violations, including sexual violence, lethal unexploded ordnance (UXO) incidents, environmental destruction, and repeated failures to comply with court orders — calling for sweeping reforms to end what it describes as a “culture of impunity.”
In a hard-hitting report tabled by the National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, MPs detailed testimonies from victims, families, and community leaders linking the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) to decades of alleged misconduct.
The inquiry was triggered by persistent complaints from residents near Batuk training areas. Among the documented cases is the death of Robert Swara Seuri, a civilian employee at the Ole-Naishu Range, who unknowingly carried home an unexploded device left behind after British training exercises.
According to the committee, the device detonated “with devastating force,” mutilating Seuri and embedding fragments of his body into the ceiling. His grandmother sustained severe injuries.
Another survivor, Lisoka Lesasuyan — then a young boy — lost both arms and an eye after coming into contact with a UXO. Although a Kenyan court awarded him Sh10 million, MPs say fresh evidence shows the compensation was inadequate given his lifelong need for prosthetics.
Batuk reportedly attempted to negotiate a reduced settlement by asserting shared liability.
The report also catalogues widespread alcohol-fuelled disorder, harassment, and sexual misconduct in towns surrounding training zones. Witnesses described soldiers engaging in violent altercations, indecent exposure and sexually aggressive behaviour.
The committee noted a pattern of Batuk failing to honour court-ordered compensation in cases involving harm to civilians or environmental degradation.
High-profile cases resurfaced in the report, including the 2012 murder of Kenyan mother Agnes Wanjiru — for which no perpetrator has been successfully prosecuted — and the fatal shooting of herder Tilam Leresh by a Batuk sergeant.
MPs say these incidents reinforce longstanding concerns about inadequate accountability mechanisms under the Kenya–UK Defence Cooperation Agreement.
Historical cases documented by the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) were also referenced, including a 1997 mass rape incident in Archer’s Post where “30 women were gang-raped at knife-point,” some inside their manyattas.
Environmental impacts formed a significant part of the committee’s findings. The 2021 Lolldaiga Hills fire — ignited by Batuk activities — destroyed more than 12,000 acres.
Residents reported respiratory complications, miscarriages, livestock deaths, and long-term ecological degradation linked to toxic fumes and abandoned military waste.
Lawmakers now want comprehensive legal reforms to ensure visiting forces are fully subject to Kenyan law, including criminal prosecution, strict environmental compliance, and enforceable compensation processes. They argue that current frameworks shield foreign troops from accountability, undermining public trust and exposing civilians to repeated harm.
The committee’s recommendations are expected to spark intense diplomatic engagement between Nairobi and London, especially as Kenya reviews defence partnerships to align with constitutional standards on sovereignty, justice, and human rights.
