Military training between the United Kingdom and Kenya is set to resume after a delay caused by concerns over human rights and the signing of a new defense cooperation agreement. The two nations reached an agreement on Tuesday to proceed with the training activities.
Kenyan legislators had raised concerns regarding the protection of local communities during previous training exercises involving British soldiers. While neither government directly commented on allegations of human rights violations, the suspension of training was announced on July 23. Kenyan authorities had previously denied reports that the UK might relocate some training to neighboring Tanzania.
Kenya's foreign affairs minister, Musalia Mudavadi, stated that the government welcomed the decision, emphasizing a partnership built on mutual respect and a shared commitment to peace and security. The British government confirmed that Kenya's government would issue the necessary licenses and permissions, with training scheduled to restart later this year.
Britain maintains approximately 200 military personnel in Kenya, annually training over 1,000 Kenyan soldiers before their deployment to Somalia to counter al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida. The British government has invested more than 1.1 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately $9.6 million) annually in this partnership.
The partnership faced increased scrutiny following incidents that raised human rights concerns. In 2012, the body of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was discovered in a septic tank near a British army training ground in Nanyuki, weeks after she was reportedly last seen with British soldiers. In 2021, a fire, which authorities said was accidentally started by British soldiers, burned over 12,000 acres of the Lolldaiga Conservancy, located near the training area.