MoD cancels army training in Kenya over powers to prosecute British soldiers

September exercise called off after Kenya raises concerns over funding and jurisdiction for criminal offences The British army has been forced to cancel training for its troops in Kenya after the Kenyan government refused to ratify a bilateral defence agreement. While the UK government wanted to renew the existing agreement, Kenyan lawmakers had sought changes to give local authorities greater powers to hold British soldiers accountable for any offences committed in the country. According to the Kenyan news outlet the Daily Nation, the dispute centres on which cases Kenya will retain primary jurisdiction over, while the amount of money Britain pays Kenya to host the training camp has also been a sticking point. The chair of the Kenyan national assembly’s defence, intelligence and foreign relations committee, Nelson Koech, said the two governments were “actively engaging to address these outstanding issues”. As a result of the Kenyan government’s decision, a planned exercise involving the 1st Battalion the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which was due to begin in September, has been cancelled. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The UK highly values its relationship with Kenya,