NAIROBI, Kenya — The Kenyan government has dismissed reports suggesting that the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) has ended its operations in the country, following the cancellation of a planned United Kingdom military exercise after delays in securing the necessary government approvals.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said the cancellation of the Haraka Storm military exercise should not be interpreted as a termination of the long-standing defence partnership between Kenya and the United Kingdom.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the Kenya–United Kingdom Defence Cooperation Agreement remains in force and is currently undergoing parliamentary consideration as required under the Constitution.
According to Mudavadi, the agreement is before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations for review in line with Kenya’s legal and constitutional framework.
“The Government therefore discounts claims suggesting that the defence partnership between Kenya and the United Kingdom has been terminated or that the BATUK arrangement has come to an end,” the statement said.
The government maintained that Kenya and the United Kingdom continue to enjoy a strong strategic relationship built on mutual respect, shared interests and longstanding cooperation across several sectors, with defence remaining one of its key pillars.
Officials said the partnership has strengthened military capacity, enhanced professional training and promoted security cooperation while also generating economic opportunities for communities that host British military training exercises.
The clarification follows reports that the United Kingdom had cancelled the Haraka Storm exercise, which had been scheduled to take place in Laikipia County between September and November 2026.
According to the UK, the exercise could not proceed because the licences and approvals required to conduct the training in Kenya had not been issued in time. The British government said the exercise would instead be relocated to another country.
“It is with regret that the necessary licences required to allow training to take place in Laikipia later this year have not been forthcoming. As a result, the planned training will now be conducted at an alternative location outside Kenya,” the UK said in a statement.
The UK also acknowledged the economic impact the cancellation could have on local communities that benefit from military exercises.
“We recognize the disappointment this decision will cause for those who would have benefited from the economic activity generated by the exercise. All UK training activity in Kenya is dependent on the permission from the Government of Kenya,” the statement added.
Despite the cancellation of the exercise, the Kenyan government reiterated that defence cooperation between the two countries remains active and that ongoing engagements continue under the existing bilateral framework as the updated agreement proceeds through Parliament.