The British government has agreed to pay almost $4 million to thousands of victims of a blaze started by its soldiers while in training in Kenya.
In 2021, an inferno burned over 10,000 acres in the privately owned Lolldaiga conservancy. For close to seven days, thick plumes of smoke filled the sky, making it impossible to move and a torture to breathe.
The fire, believed to have started accidentally during a British military training exercise, caused lifelong health issues, damaged property, and polluted the environment, leading to a class action suit initiated by Kelvin Kubai, a 27-year-old lawyer who grew up in the area.
Reportedly, despite the settlement with 7,723 Kenyans who filed complaints, the government of the United Kingdom will not accept liability for the fire.
Laikipia County MP Cate Waruguru called it a success story, because it’s the first time “we’ve ever won a case against the British Army in Kenya, but it’s so little it’s almost nothing,” referring to the settlement, which is not being shared equally.
Many beneficiaries were disappointed that, after the four-year legal fight, they would receive just 22,000 Kenyan shillings ($170) and now plan to protest, according to a local lawmaker.
“They feel that their sweat and their struggle have not borne any fruit. We need to see our courts stand up to protect the rights of Kenyans,” she added.
According to Lawyer Kubai, military training and conservation are incompatible. “There is a need to separate them,” he says.
Further, he decries the value of the payment, which comes too little too late. Some residents are already battling health complications with frequent visits to the hospital.
“This payment is nowhere close to giving (my clients)… the financial assistance to enable them to move far away from this training. So the only thing now is to move the training away from them.” He says the “ex gratia” payout, a voluntary payment made outside of any legal obligation, was the fastest way to compensate the affected community instead of pushing for a full trial that could have lasted years.
One Hannah Wanjiku said that her grandchildren are sick and that she has developed chest problems. “We live a difficult life. If we get this money, we will leave,” Wanjiku added.
Many hoped for a substantial payout to move away from the area.
The British High Commission in Nairobi, which represents BATUK in the country, said it was “pleased that a global settlement has been agreed with the claimants’ appointed legal representatives” and called the fire “extremely regrettable” but declined to say if any officers had faced disciplinary action for it.
“The UK has devoted considerable time, effort, and resources to resolving these claims for the people affected,” a spokesperson said.
The community meeting in June 2024 was convened by activist James Mwangi who has campaigned for the residents since the blaze.
In environmental terms, one report, by consultancy firm Howard Humphreys, commissioned by Lolldaiga Hills Limited, found it would take until at least 2060 for the land to fully recover from the effects of the fire.
Previously a private livestock ranch, Lolldaiga became a conservancy in 2021 and is home to the endangered Grevy’s zebra, elephants, buffaloes, lions, hyenas, jackals, vervet monkeys, and baboons.
