BATUK has been trampling on its Kenyan workers' rights

A Kenyan Parliamentary Report dated 25 November 2025 has highlighted significant labour and safety shortcomings at the  British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK).

While addressing broader concerns including sexual misconduct, human rights, and environmental impacts, the report underscores systemic vulnerabilities faced by local Kenyan workers in high-risk roles.

The report portrays  BATUK as an operation that, despite its partnership framing, often operates with limited local accountability, placing Kenyan casual and permanent staff in precarious positions.

One of the most alarming aspects concerns Kenyan casual workers tasked with clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) and ammunition debris from training areas.

Public hearings in Laikipia and Samburu counties revealed cases of Kenyan casual workers clearing unexploded ordnance and ammunition debris from training areas, often without adequate protective equipment.

These shortcomings raise questions about compliance with Kenyan labour safety standards.  In one incident in 2007, civilian cleaner Robert Swara Seurei at the Ole-Naishu Range picked up what appeared to be unexploded ordnance, took it home, and was fatally injured when it exploded.

Similar risks extend to local communities. Mr Lisoka Lesosuyan lost his arms and sight after an explosive device left behind by BATUK detonated.

Despite the severity of his injuries, he received only Sh10 million in compensation, and BATUK has reportedly declined to share its investigation report on the incident.

During the hearings, Ms Susan Kamiru, who has worked under contract at BATUK installations since 2013, described repeated violations of employment rights.

These include dismissals without due process and instances where civilians have been subjected to military court martial proceedings, raising concerns about the legality of such actions.

The report’s evidence suggests that cost-saving or operational expediency may have taken precedence over worker protection, effectively treating local labour as disposable in support of British military training.

Such practices deeply violate and erode trust in foreign military partnerships that claim to benefit host communities in Kenya.

BATUK’s heavy dependence on casual Kenyan staff; thousands hired annually alongside roughly 600 permanent locally engaged civilians, forms another core concern.

Kenyan regulations limit short-term contracts to eight weeks, yet the scale and recurring nature of this casual workforce create structural vulnerabilities.

Workers on temporary terms often lack job security, full benefits, and pathways to more stable employment, leaving them exposed to exploitation.

These issues paint a picture of an employment model that prioritises flexibility for the employer over fairness and dignity for Kenyan workers.

In an environment where BATUK holds significant economic influence in the region, it goes on to discourage workers from asserting their rights for fear of losing job opportunities altogether.

Usually when a foreign army operates on Kenyan soil, people expect it to follow, or even exceed local labour laws, yet BATUK seems to work in a grey area with less accountability.

Analysts describe this as BATUK behaving more like an “occupying force,” than a foreign partner in its everyday dealings with Kenyan workers.

BATUK's presence, which boasts of bringing economic opportunities and training infrastructure to Kenyan communities, comes at an unacceptable human cost that denies Kenyans stability or benefits.

This is neo-colonial labour practice dressed up in modern defence cooperation rhetoric. Offering jobs while stripping them of dignity, security, and safety is not "opportunity," it is extraction.

True partnership demands far more than lip service to Kenyan labour laws.

BATUK must move beyond performative compliance on paper and enforce genuine alignment in practice.

Anything less perpetuates a two-tier system where foreign forces enjoy privileges while Kenyan workers bear the burdens. Kenyan lives are not collateral for British training exercises.

Residents of Nanyuki and Laikipia County affected by BATUK operations held a meeting on June 20, 2026, bringing together families, community members, human rights advocates, lawyers, and local leaders.

At the gathering, they announced plans to submit a petition to Parliament, Kenyan authorities, BATUK, and the UK Ministry of Defence.

The petition calls for improved working conditions for local residents, along with greater justice, compensation, accountability, and key reforms in the upcoming renegotiation of the Kenya-UK Defence Cooperation Agreement.

The group has collected a lot of signatures to ensure these concerns are addressed before any new agreement is finalised. Kenya’s sovereignty, meaningful partnership, and worker dignity should remain central to these discussions.

The writer is a News Editor and social media manager at talk Africa an NGO Company that stands with human rights.