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World / Africa

UK cancels military training in Kenya over permit dispute

Published: 23 Jul 2026 - 05:31 pm | Last Updated: 23 Jul 2026 - 05:34 pm
File photo

File photo

AFP

Nairobi, Kenya: Britain has cancelled one of its annual military trainings in Kenya after failing to obtain a licence from the government, its defence ministry said on Thursday.

Kenya hosts a permanent base for the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Laikipia, about 200 kilometres (130 miles) north of Nairobi.

"It is with regret that the necessary licences 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.

The ministry did not reveal the reasons behind the failure to obtain the licence, while the Kenyan government did not respond to AFP queries on the matter.

The relocation, however, does not affect the broader defence partnership between the two countries, the ministry said.