LONDON, UK – The British government has agreed to pay almost $4 million (KSh 566 million) to thousands of Kenyans affected by a 2021 blaze allegedly sparked during a military training exercise in Laikipia.
The settlement, revealed in a confidential agreement seen by CNN, follows a four-year legal battle by residents of Lolldaiga Conservancy who accused the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) of causing health complications, property losses and environmental destruction.
More than 7,700 Kenyans filed claims, but many are now disillusioned after learning that individual payouts will average just KSh 22,000 ($170).
“It’s a success story because it’s the first time we’ve ever won a case against the British Army in Kenya, but it’s so little it’s almost nothing,” former Laikipia MP Cate Waruguru said. “We need to see our courts stand up to protect the rights of Kenyans.”
Lawyer Kelvin Kubai, who grew up near the conservancy and spearheaded the class-action lawsuit, said victims had hoped for compensation at least 20 times higher.
“Military training and conservation are incompatible. There is a need to separate them,” Kubai said, arguing that residents should be relocated away from army training zones.
EXCLUSIVE: The UK is paying $4m to a community after the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) started a major fire that ruined lives and the environment.The Ksh500m payout is 20X smaller than they demanded and the UK will not accept liability. Most locals will get just $170
The inferno destroyed more than 10,000 acres of Lolldaiga, a wildlife haven home to endangered Grevy’s zebras, elephants, lions and other species.
A 2022 environmental report found the land may take until 2060 to recover. Residents say many continue to suffer respiratory illnesses, with some attributing deaths to ailments linked to the toxic smoke.
The British High Commission in Nairobi described the fire as “extremely regrettable” but declined to confirm if any soldiers faced disciplinary action.
It said the “global settlement” was intended to provide timely assistance rather than prolong the case through the courts.
BATUK, which pays Kenya about $400,000 annually for training rights, has long faced allegations of human rights abuses, including rape and murder, now the subject of a parliamentary probe.
The army has maintained that all claims are investigated but declined to comment on individual cases.
