Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has made explosive claims that a Ksh3 billion bribe demand by Kenyan government officials forced the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) to shift part of its military operations from Laikipia to Tanzania, a revelation that has thrown the spotlight on the opaque processes surrounding military approvals and raised serious questions about corruption within the country's defence and foreign relations oversight mechanisms.

Speaking during a church service at St Teresa Catholic Church in Imenti Central Constituency, Meru County, on Sunday, Gachagua named Belgut MP Nelson Koech, who chairs the National Assembly's Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, as the alleged architect of the bribe demand, claiming that the committee demanded the money before BATUK's training agreement in Kenya could be renewed.

"The committee of Parliament for Defence and Foreign Relations. The chairman is called Nelson Koech. He is a Kasongo man. He told these whites, 'For us to renew the contract, we want Ksh 3 billion,'" Gachagua claimed.

https://x.com/johnmtongoi/status/2081338781576155305?s=20

According to the DCP leader, the British delegation was taken aback by the alleged demand and asked what work or service the Ksh3 billion payment was intended to cover, to which the committee allegedly had no clear response.

Gachagua further claimed that the negotiations dragged on for close to eight months, with the committee allegedly pushing for the payment throughout that period without providing any justification for the demand.

"Take one or two billion and send it to Kasongo. The whites asked, What do you want three billion for? Is there a receipt? Is it for work, or is it for a crime, to seek votes? This dragged on for eight months," Gachagua stated.

The former Deputy President said the British eventually declined to pay anything, insisting they could not fund what he described as a political kitty, a decision that forced BATUK to cancel its Kenyan contract for the September 2026 training and shift operations to Mezama in Tanzania instead.

The allegations come amid a broader standoff between Kenya and the UK over the Defence Cooperation Agreement, with Parliament insisting on the amendment of Articles 6(5) and 23 to include murder as one of the offences within the jurisdiction of Kenyan courts, and to include a Corporate Social Responsibility component for BATUK in its engagement with local communities.

As currently drafted, the agreement excludes certain serious offences from the definition of "official duty", giving Kenya primary jurisdiction over those cases, but murder is omitted from that list, leaving room for Britain to claim jurisdiction over such cases—a loophole Kenyan lawmakers have insisted on closing.

The parliamentary push is driven by past unaddressed grievances, including the murder of Agnes Wanjiku Wanjiru by BATUK soldiers, whose body was found dumped in a septic tank, the destruction of approximately 12,000 acres of forest in the Lolldaiga Hills Conservancy fire incident, and numerous allegations of sexual abuse, human rights violations, and blatant disregard of court orders by the British Army Training Unit.

An inquiry conducted by the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations in 2024 established that UK soldiers were guilty of sexual abuse of Kenyans, abuse of power, unethical behaviour, and human rights violations, with the report revealing how soldiers raped, sexually abused, and left many locals maimed with various injuries.

The County Government of Laikipia had previously submitted a memorandum raising serious concerns about defence cooperation between Kenya and the UK, stating that despite the presence of binding agreements, BATUK had committed serious atrocities against the people of Kenya and the environment in general.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday that the planned September training, Haraka Storm, which was scheduled to take place in Laikipia, would now be conducted at an alternative location outside Kenya after the necessary licences failed to materialise.

"We recognise the disappointment this decision will cause for those who would have benefited from the economic activity generated by the exercise. All UK training activity in Kenya is dependent on the permission from the Government of Kenya," the UK statement read.

The UK clarified that only the September training has been affected, not the one ongoing at the moment, and reaffirmed its commitment to the long-standing defence partnership with Kenya.

"It is with regret that the necessary licences required to allow training to take place in Laikipia later this year have not been forthcoming. As a result, the planned training will now be conducted at an alternative location outside Kenya," the statement added.

Despite the setback, London reaffirmed its commitment to its defence partnership with Kenya, describing it as one of the strongest pillars of the two countries' bilateral relationship.

"The UK highly values its relationship with Kenya, which is underpinned by mutual benefit, respect and cooperation. The UK-Kenya Defence Partnership is one of the great strengths of our relationship. Our joint training and operations with the Kenyan Defence Forces are keeping both Kenyan and British people safe," the statement read.

BATUK has maintained a presence in Nanyuki since the tenure of founding President Jomo Kenyatta, with its operations continuing through the administrations of Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and now President William Ruto, and its presence at Nyati Barracks has long supported joint military training focused on counter-terrorism cooperation between Kenya and Britain.

Gachagua warned that losing BATUK's presence could deal a significant economic blow to Nanyuki, a town largely built around the soldiers' presence, threatening livelihoods built around the decades-long military partnership.

"The committee of Parliament for Defence and Foreign Relations... told these whites, 'For us to renew the contract, we want Ksh3 billion,'" Gachagua reiterated, insisting that the British delegation had asked for a receipt and justification for the payment, which the committee allegedly could not provide.

At the time of publication, neither the National Assembly's Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, the Kenyan government, nor the UK Ministry of Defence had responded to Gachagua's explosive allegations.