Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi at State House, Nairobi, on July 21, 2026/PCS
The government has dismissed reports suggesting that the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) arrangement has come to an end, saying the defence partnership between Kenya and the United Kingdom remains in place.
In a statement issued on Friday, Director of Press Services in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary Jacob Ng'etich said claims that the defence cooperation had been terminated were inaccurate.
The statement said Kenya and the United Kingdom continue to enjoy a long-standing strategic partnership built on mutual respect, shared interests and strong people-to-people ties.
It noted that defence cooperation remains one of the key pillars of the relationship, contributing to professional military training, capacity building, security cooperation and economic opportunities for communities that host military training activities.
The government said the Kenya-United Kingdom Defence Cooperation Agreement is currently undergoing the required parliamentary approval process.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said the agreement is before the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations for consideration in line with the Constitution and other legal requirements.
The statement stressed that reports claiming the BATUK arrangement had ended do not reflect the current position of the two governments.
"The Government therefore discounts claims suggesting that the defence partnership between Kenya and the United Kingdom has been terminated or that the BATUK arrangement has come to an end," the statement said.
It added: "Such assertions are inaccurate and do not reflect the current status of the friendly engagement between the two Governments."
The government said it remains committed to resolving all outstanding matters through established diplomatic and institutional channels.
It expressed confidence that the parliamentary process would be concluded amicably, allowing the continued implementation of the bilateral defence cooperation framework.
According to the statement, the partnership has been mutually beneficial to both countries and continues to support shared security interests.
The government also reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening ties with the United Kingdom through continued defence collaboration.
It said Kenya and the UK will continue working together to enhance defence cooperation, promote regional peace and security, and pursue broader strategic objectives that have shaped relations between the two countries over many decades.
"We look forward to an amicable conclusion of the parliamentary process and the continued implementation of the bilateral defence cooperation framework for the mutual benefit of both countries," the statement said.
The clarification comes amid public debate over the future of BATUK following reports that its operations and the broader defence partnership faced uncertainty.
This is after Britain announced the cancellation of one of its annual military trainings in the country after allegedly failing to obtain a license from the government.
“It is with regret that the necessary licenses required to allow training to take place in Laikipia later this year have not been forthcoming,” the British Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The training has been relocated to another country, it added, without disclosing the new location.
Kenya hosts the permanent base for BATUK in Laikipia.
The government, however, maintained that the partnership remains intact and that any outstanding matters are being addressed through the appropriate legal, diplomatic and parliamentary processes.
