A House committee investigating the conduct of the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) has lined up public hearings in Laikipia and Samburu counties.
The Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations will undertake public hearings from May 28-30, 2024.
“The public is hereby invited to attend and submit written memoranda and/or oral views on the specific terms of reference of the inquiry as outlined and on any other relevant issue,” an advert by the Clerk of the National Assembly.
The committee will be in Laikipia on May 28 at Nanyuki Town, Nanyuki Social Hall in the afternoon.
The committee will be in Samburu on May 29 at Archers Post, Archers Post Chief’s Camp from 10.30 am.
Members of the committee will hold another hearing in Laikipia at Doldol, Kiwanja Ndege Centre on May 30.
The committee is investigating the conduct of the Batuk in Kenya.
Members will assess BATUK’s operational integrity, especially safety protocols, compliance with legal requirements and adherence to established military standards.
Kenya and the United Kingdom have a Defence Cooperation Agreement that, among others, allows the Batuk to operate in the country.
Batuk is a permanent training support unit based mainly in Nanyuki but with a small element in Nairobi.
It provides demanding training to exercising units preparing to deploy on operations or assume high-readiness tasks.
It consists of around 100 permanent staff and reinforces a short tour cohort of another 280 personnel.
The controversial 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru is expected to be included in the probe.
The 21-year-old mother was allegedly last seen with British troops at a hotel near the barracks. Her body was found in a septic tank at a nearby lodge with stab wounds.
A 2019 inquest in Kenya concluded that British soldiers were responsible for her murder and ordered further investigations. No one has been charged.
