Documents seen by CNN show that the UK government has agreed to pay around $4 million to the thousands of casualties of the flames soldiers began during training in Kenya.
The settlement follows a lengthy legal battle by members of the East African country’s local community. Actors say the effects of the 2021 fire at a vast wildlife sanctuary in central Kenya have caused lifelong health issues, damaging property and polluting the environment.
Some of them told CNN they lost their family due to illnesses arising from Inferno, which burned more than 10,000 acres in privately owned Loldaiga Conservancy.
The fire is believed to have started by chance during a British military training exercise. British Army Training Force Kenya (Batuk) posted a video showing police officers fighting the flames at the time.
According to a confidential settlement agreement obtained by CNN, the UK government has now agreed to pay 7,723 Kenyans £2.9 million (approximately $3.9 million) to 7,723 Kenyans who filed the complaint.
Reconciliation is not shared equally. According to local lawmakers, many beneficiaries received just 22,000 Kenyan Shillings ($170) after four years of legal battle, and were disappointed with plans to protest now.
“It’s the first time I’ve won a lawsuit against the British Army in Kenya, but that’s pretty much not,” Laikipia County Councilman Cate Waruguru told CNN. “They feel that their sweat and their struggles are not owed fruit. We need to see our courts rise to protect the rights of Kenyans,” she added.
Kelvin Kubay, a 27-year-old lawyer who grew up in the area, launched a class action lawsuit that culminated in the settlement, but said his client wanted to pay 20 times more.
“Military training and conservation are incompatible. They need to be separated,” Kubai told CNN on Thursday. “This payment is not close to giving (my clients), it’s financial assistance to ensure they can travel far from this training. So the only thing to do is to keep the training away from them.” He says that “ex gratia” payments, a voluntary payment made outside of legal obligation, was the fastest way to compensate affected communities rather than pushing for a full trial that could last for years.
The British Army pays around $400,000 per year Kenya to allow Batuk to train domestically. The British military operates primarily in large wildlife sanctuaries in Laikipia and nearby Samburu County. However, allegations of human rights abuses, including rape and murder, have troubled Batuk for decades, leading to an ongoing investigation of the Kenya Parliament. Military officials say they are investigating all reported allegations of misconduct against Kenyan officials, but have not commented on individual cases.
The British High Commissioner for Nairobi, representing the country’s Batuk, said he was “pleasant that a global settlement has been agreed to with the appointed legal representative of the requester,” calling the fire “very disappointing,” but refused to say whether the officers faced disciplinary action for it.
“The UK has devoted considerable time, effort and resources to resolve these claims from those affected,” the spokesperson told CNN in a statement.
CNN also reached out to the UK Department of Defense for comment.
Community members have previously been demonstrated to Batuk and the British government. When CNN met a group of local residents outside the fence at Lolldaiga Conservancy last June, many wanted a significant amount of payment so they could leave the area.
One woman raised an inhaler above her head as she and most of her neighbors explained that she had developed breathing difficulties that required frequent hospital visits after the fire.
Nearby, Hannah Wangjik fought back tears as she spoke about British forces training near her home. She said her grandson was ill and developed breast problems. “We live a difficult life. Once we get this money, we’ll leave,” Wangjik added.
The June 2024 community meeting was convened by activist James Mwangi, who has campaigned for residents since the flames. “In March 2021, the area was a seven-day furnace. Over 10,000 people were choking with smoke, toxic smoke,” he told CNN at the time.
In environmental terms, one report by consulting firm Howard Humphries (commissioned by Lolldaiga Hills Limited) found that it would take at least 2060 for the land to fully recover from the effects of the fire.
Formerly a private farm, Lolldaiga became a sanctuary in 2021 and was home to endangered sebr, elephants, elephants, buffaloes, lions, hyenas, jackals, velvet monkeys and baboons.
