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

Soldiers of the British army training unit in Kenya (BATUK) with troops from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) on a training exercise on the Laikipia plateau. Photograph: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty

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.