Kenya dismisses claims BATUK partnership has ended
Kenya dismisses claims BATUK partnership has ended
The Government has dismissed reports suggesting that the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) has ceased operations, affirming that defence cooperation between Kenya and the United Kingdom remains firmly in place.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said the Kenya–United Kingdom Defence Cooperation Agreement is currently undergoing the required parliamentary approval process and has not been terminated.
In a statement, Mudavadi said the agreement is before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations for consideration in line with Kenya’s constitutional and legislative requirements.
“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. Such assertions are inaccurate and do not reflect the current status of the friendly engagement between the two Governments,” he said.
Mudavadi described Kenya and the United Kingdom as long-standing strategic partners whose relationship is founded on mutual respect, shared interests and strong people-to-people ties.
He said defence cooperation has remained one of the key pillars of the bilateral relationship, contributing significantly to capacity building, professional military training, security cooperation and economic opportunities for communities hosting military exercises.
The Cabinet Secretary said the Government remains committed to resolving any outstanding issues through established diplomatic and institutional channels and expressed confidence that the parliamentary process would be concluded amicably.
“We look forward to an amicable conclusion of the parliamentary process and the continued implementation of the bilateral defence cooperation framework for the mutual benefit of both countries,” Mudavadi said.
He reaffirmed that Kenya and the United Kingdom will continue working together to strengthen defence cooperation, promote regional peace and security, and advance the broader strategic objectives that have underpinned relations between the two countries for decades.
The clarification follows recent speculation over the future of BATUK after reports emerged suggesting the United Kingdom had suspended or relocated some military training activities in Kenya amid delays in renewing the bilateral defence cooperation framework.
The Government has maintained that the partnership remains active and that the ongoing parliamentary process is a normal legal requirement before the renewed agreement takes full effect.