Nelson Koech explains reason behind Kenya’s reluctance to renew BATUK license
By Kenneth Mwenda, July 25, 2026The British Army has moved a planned training exercise out of Laikipia after Kenya withheld the necessary licences. A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the licences have not been forthcoming and the training will now take place at an alternative location outside Kenya.
The exercise, involving the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, was due to start in September 2026.
Nelson Koech, who chairs Kenya’s National Assembly Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, has explained the reasons behind the delay. His committee has examined the operations of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) as part of work on a new defence cooperation agreement. The previous agreement expired in October 2021 and remains unsigned.
In a BBC interview on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Koech summarised the human rights concerns that emerged from the committee’s findings.
“The human rights concerns have been issues of rape, issues of environmental degradation, issues of murder, you know, very serious allegations of murder, some that have been proven, some that are in progress, under investigation.”
He singled out one case as the most prominent.
“And of course, the one that is major has been, it was a sensation, was that of Agnes Wanjiru. To date, you know, the culprit has never been brought back. There was a court ruling that it was supposed to have been depatriated back into the country to face trial. That has not been forthcoming. I don’t know what will be happening with that, and many other issues,” the MP explained.
Agnes Wanjiru case drives demands
Agnes Wanjiru disappeared in Nanyuki in 2012. Her body was later recovered from a septic tank at a hotel. A former British soldier, Robert James Purkiss, was arrested in the UK in 2025 after Kenyan authorities issued an arrest warrant. He is contesting extradition and denies the charge. Koech made clear that the committee’s central demand is simple:
“So the biggest issue has been runaway murder, and that is what we are trying to, as a committee, to make sure that there has to be accountability on the officers and troops that visit our country,” Koech added.
The committee has recommended that the new defence agreement give Kenya clear jurisdiction over serious offences, including murder, committed on Kenyan soil. Koech has stated elsewhere that murder must be tried in Kenya. This position has shaped the negotiations and contributed to the decision not to issue the licences for the Laikipia exercise.
Asked what the situation means for Kenya-UK relations, Koech rejected any idea that the committee is deliberately blocking progress.
“This is how relationships are built. It is about, you know, it’s about agreeing. It’s about respect to constitution. It’s about respect to human life. It’s about mutual agreements that benefit both countries. And I think that is what we endeavor to do. We’re not trying to be a hindrance.”
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri backed the same position on Saturday, July 25, 2026. He listed three conditions Kenya should not drop in the new defence agreement: British troops must follow Kenyan law, crimes committed on Kenyan soil must be tried in Kenyan courts, and local businesses must get fair access to supply contracts.
“If a crime is committed on Kenyan soil, justice must be delivered in a Kenyan courtroom under Kenyan jurisdiction,” he said. “Training on our land must mean investing in our communities,” Kiunjuri said.
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Koech also confirmed he has taken direct steps to resolve the impasse.
“I’m sure there have been communications. I’ve actually been reaching out personally to the team from the High Commission, trying to see how we can unlock this situation. What has happened is that the Duke of Lancaster Regiment training that was started in September is the one that has been affected.”
“We are trying as much as possible to see if there is a possibility of reversing it. And the only way to reverse it is to agree with them, to see the sticking issues that probably they are uncomfortable with, and see how we can.”
The UK has said it values the defence partnership and will continue engaging Kenya to resume training in the country at the earliest opportunity. BATUK’s permanent base in Nanyuki remains open. Local businesses in Laikipia that rely on the economic activity from training exercises will feel the immediate impact of this particular cancellation.
Koech’s position places respect for Kenyan law and human life at the centre of any future arrangement. The committee is not seeking to end the partnership.
It is insisting that British troops who train and operate in Kenya face proper accountability when serious crimes occur. Until the outstanding issues around jurisdiction and justice are settled, the licences for large-scale exercises in Laikipia will stay on hold.