British Army Training Unit Kenya

The British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) is a training support unit of the British Army located in Kenya.

On 3 June 1964, Duncan Sandys, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, signed a post-independence defence agreement with the new Kenyan government. Among its other provisions, it specified that British troops could exercise in Kenya twice a year.

Today, BATUK administers and facilitates British Army access to the large number of training areas made available by the Kenyan authorities. These training areas make possible combined arms light and mechanised role infantry battlegroup and brigade exercises, as well as civil engineering and medical projects for the local population, funded by the British Army.

Under an agreement with the Kenyan Government, up to six infantry battalions per year carry out eight-week exercises in Kenya. There are also three Royal Engineers squadron exercises which carry out civil engineering projects, as well as two Army Medical Services medical company group deployments.

British Army troops also help prevent poaching of endangered species such as rhinos and elephants, and are said to contribute £58 million to the Kenyan economy each year.

BATUK has three installations: Nyati Barracks at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki contains the headquarters, accommodation, mess, stores and offices; Kifaru Barracks is a rear base and logistical hub in Nairobi; Kahawa Barracks, hosted by the Kenya Army, is a similar rear base in Nairobi.

Over the years, British soldiers deploying to BATUK for training have been involved in criminal acts, which have attracted media attention in both Britain and Kenya. Allegations and court cases have included murder, brawls, rape, sexual assault, an alleged child kidnapping, environmental damage, fatal hit-and-runs, and sexual exploitation of Kenyan women.