In central Kenya, residents expressed their grievances on Friday regarding the absence of compensation for a devastating fire that occurred in 2021 during a British military exercise, just 10 days prior to a visit by King Charles III.
A Kenyan court has issued a ruling mandating the British Army to provide compensation for the wildfire that scorched over 4,800 hectares (12,000 acres) of land. The fire transpired during a military exercise carried out by the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).
This unit is stationed close to the town of Nanyuki, approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of the capital city, Nairobi.
“Two and a half years later, zero compensation has been given to the people affected,” stated lawyer Kelvin Kubai as he presented an “open letter to the British government” on behalf of the victims during a press conference.
The letter, endorsed by 7,000 plaintiffs, asserts that “the British Army is employing tactics reminiscent of colonial rule to evade compensating the Kenyan people.”
The affected individuals are pursuing compensation for environmental harm and addressing medical issues, including “serious breathing difficulties” and “permanent issues with eyesight” that they attribute to the fire.
“Many, many farmers have not been able to grow back the crops and regain the livestock that was lost in this terrible fire,” the letter said.
The compensation process for the fire is overseen by an intergovernmental liaison committee (IGLC), comprising representatives from both nations.
The authors of the open letter voiced their dissatisfaction with the IGLC’s request for additional evidence to substantiate the extent of the damage caused by the fire.
“They wish to insult us further by telling us we have to prove –- again –- the damage that their careless and arrogant soldiers caused,” the letter said.
“The facts remain that the British Army destroyed the environment in Kenya where they are guests and they don’t want to pay us for it,” it added.
British must leave
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” the letter said, calling on the British government and King Charles to “stop treating Kenya like a colonial outpost”.
Following the press conference, a few hundred individuals chanted slogans such as “we want our money” and “the British must go,” briefly impeding traffic before dispersing.
King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit the East African nation from October 31 to November 3. This marks his initial trip to a Commonwealth country since ascending to the throne last year, and it will be his fourth official visit to Kenya.
The British monarch will tour Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa during the visit, but the town of Nanyuki, where the BATUK is located, is not included in the itinerary.
While the army base contributes to the local economy, it has also been involved in various controversies in the region.
The most well-known case is the 2012 death of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old, who was discovered in a septic tank after reportedly socializing with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki.
London has consistently pledged its cooperation with the Kenyan investigation, which, as of now, has not yielded any publicly disclosed outcomes.
