Four years after a fire outbreak linked to a UK military training exercise swept through the Lolldaiga conservancy in Kenya’s Rift Valley, thousands of affected residents have finally won compensation.
- A blaze caused by a British military training exercise affected thousands of residents in Lolldaiga conservancy, Kenya.
- Over 7,000 acres of land were damaged, leading to destroyed homes, health issues, and environmental concerns.
- The UK Ministry of Defence reached an out-of-court settlement of £2.9 million to compensate 7,723 Kenyans.
- The UK military’s presence in Kenya faces mixed reception over its contributions and associated social costs.
A total of 7,723 Kenyans will share a £2.9 million out-of-court settlement with the UK government, concluding a lengthy legal battle over destroyed homes, farmland, and health complications linked to activities of the UK military that caused smoke and environmental damage
The case, one of the largest group claims ever filed against the UK Ministry of Defence in East Africa, centered on allegations that the fire, ignited during a live training drill, wiped out livelihoods and left communities struggling to recover.
While the British government has not publicly confirmed the payout, the claimants’ lawyer, Kevin Batuk, told the BBC the settlement recognized the harm caused, even if many victims believe it falls short of covering years of hardship.
“We extend our compliments to the IGLC, KDF, British Government, and the Environment and Land Court sitting in Nanyuki for furthering our environmental jurisprudence. This settlement is indeed a fruit of the Kenyan Constitution and strengthens BATUK-Community relations,” Batuk explained on his X page.
According to the BBC, a spokesperson for the British High Commission in Nairobi described the fire as “extremely regrettable” and stressed that the UK had devoted “considerable time, effort and resource” to resolving the claims.
The settlement also renews debate over the UK’s military presence in Kenya, where training programs continue to bring both economic benefits and local resentment over environmental and social costs.
How a Training Exercise Sparked a Legal Battle
The Lolldaiga conservancy, a 49,000-acre stretch of bushland beneath Mount Kenya, has become the focal point of one of the largest legal battles against the UK military in East Africa.
In March 2021, a blaze swept through the conservancy during a British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) exercise. The UK Ministry of Defence later admitted the fire was likely caused by a camp stove accidentally knocked over by soldiers.
The flames consumed around 7,000 acres (2,800 hectares) of private land, devastating wildlife habitats and sparking concerns over long-term environmental damage.
While British officials insisted no community land was directly affected, nearby residents reported smoke-related health problems, loss of farmland, and destruction of property caused by stampeding animals fleeing the fire.
Lolldaiga lies just 70km (45 miles) from the Lewa conservancy where Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton, and close to Batuk’s £70 million Nyati Barracks, a hub for the thousands of British troops who train annually in Kenya.
Though Batuk contributes tens of millions of pounds to the Kenyan economy, its presence has long been controversial, with repeated accusations of environmental destruction, fatal accidents, and abuses involving Kenyan civilians.
