UK suspends BATUK military training activities in Kenya over licensing delays
The United Kingdom announced the cancellation of its British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) training activities in the country, citing delays in the renewal of the licences required to conduct the exercises.
In a statement, the British High Commission in Nairobi said the planned military training has been relocated to another country after the necessary approvals were not renewed in time by the Kenyan government.
The embassy said the decision was made to ensure scheduled training activities proceeded without further disruption, while expressing hope that the licensing issues would be resolved to allow future exercises to resume in Kenya.
The UK Ministry of Defence said that the training dubbed “Exercise Haraka Storm” — a six-week combat training program held by the British Army in Kenya — will have to be held in an alternate location outside the 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,” an MOD spokesperson said in a statement.
“We recognise 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 MOD added that it values its relationship with Kenya, acknowledging that the UK-Kenya Defence Partnership is one of the concrete elements of the bilateral relationship.
“Our joint training and operations with the Kenyan Defence Forces are keeping both Kenyan and British people safe,” it added.
Haraka Storm has been conducted in Kenya since 2023 in the Laikipia and Lolldaiga regions by the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK).
The demanding training focuses on high-intensity field manoeuvres, regional integration, high-intensity combat readiness, trench warfare skills, vehicle handling, and medical tracking under arduous weather and environmental conditions.
It also includes hundreds of rotating personnel, including light-role battlegroups from units like the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Welsh Guards, and supporting medical or engineering elements.
The British government inked a deal with the Kenyan Government to have up to six infantry battlegroups annually to carry out exercises in Kenya, to provide a stern test for units preparing to deploy on operations or assume a high-readiness role.
BATUK has for decades been one of the UK’s largest overseas military training deployments, with British troops conducting exercises in Kenya under agreements between the two governments.
The suspension comes amid heightened scrutiny of BATUK’s operations in Kenya and ongoing discussions over the renewal of agreements governing the unit’s activities.