Laikipia residents get free medical care during a camp organised by Batuk in partnership with Beyond Zero on September 8, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERABritish Army personnel have provided free medical care to more than 3,900 Laikipia residents this year.
The initiative extended a critical healthcare lifeline to remote communities long cut off from basic medical services.
Working with the Beyond Zero campaign, 109 British military personnel provided medical services to residents of Kanyoni, Matanya, Debatas, Naibor, Suguroi and Umande during Exercise Haraka Serpent.
The outreach offered preventive, diagnostic and curative services, including nutrition monitoring, maternal healthcare, dental and ear, nose, and throat services, family planning, ultrasound scans, health education and voluntary HIV counselling and testing.
Umande resident Batista Mungai welcomed the initiative, saying it had brought much-needed healthcare closer to communities that often struggle to access medical facilities.
“As residents, we are grateful for the medical care we received from the British Army. We welcome them back and hope that future visits can allow for more days in each location so that even more people can benefit from the services provided,” Mungai said.
Exercise Haraka Serpent serves a dual purpose, providing healthcare to underserved communities while giving British military medical personnel experience in delivering care under conditions that differ from conventional hospitals and military facilities.
The outreach also attracted residents from neighbouring areas, underlining the demand for affordable healthcare in the largely rural county.
Mary Wangari, a health promoter from Kalalu village in Umande, said some residents travelled from as far as Doldol in Laikipia North and Sirimon near the Meru border to access the services.
“This demonstrates the need for medical services by the Laikipia communities, especially one which is subsidised or has no cost at all,” Wangari said.
A Batuk officer treating two children during a free medical camp in Laikipia county on September 8, 2026 /ALICE WAITHERABeatrice Maina, Laikipia health services coordinator with Beyond Zero, said the partnership had helped extend healthcare to communities facing long distances and financial barriers when seeking treatment.
Batuk and Beyond Zero have partnered on medical outreach programmes since 2022, reaching communities around areas where British troops conduct training.
“Laikipia county is vast and many residents face challenges in accessing healthcare because of long distances to health facilities and economic constraints," Maina said.
"With the help from Batuk, we have been able to reach communities across Laikipia and extend support to neighbouring Isiolo and Samburu counties.”
Beyond the community health services, personnel from the British Army’s medical regiment conducted specialist emergency medical training for Kenya Defence Forces personnel at Kahawa Garrison in Nairobi.
The training provided an opportunity for British Army and KDF medical personnel to exchange knowledge, experience and best practices in emergency care.
Lieutenant Colonel Catherine Bramwell-Walsh, Commanding Officer of 214 Medical Multinational Regiment, said the exercise was also helping British military medics sharpen their skills in a realistic operational environment.
“For our regiment, this is an outstanding opportunity to test and develop our personnel while enhancing both their clinical and community engagement skills,” she said.
The outreach came barely two months after the renewed Kenya-UK Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) that followed public and parliamentary scrutiny over issues including legal jurisdiction, accountability and the conduct of British troops stationed in Kenya.
Britain had earlier announced that Exercise Haraka Storm, another major annual military exercise planned for Laikipia, would be moved outside Kenya after the required government licences were not issued.
The decision triggered uncertainty over the future of Batuk as Kenya and Britain negotiated the renewed defence agreement, with lawmakers calling for stronger safeguards on accountability, jurisdiction and respect for Kenyan laws.
Kenya subsequently agreed to issue the required licences, allowing Haraka Storm to proceed later in the year, while the defence agreement went through the parliamentary approval process.
Under the Kenya-UK defence arrangement, British Army infantry battlegroups conduct training exercises in Kenya each year as they prepare for operational deployments and high-readiness tasks.
Instant analysis
Working with the Beyond Zero campaign, 109 British military personnel provided medical services to residents of Kanyoni, Matanya, Debatas, Naibor, Suguroi and Umande during Exercise Haraka Serpent. Personnel from the British Army’s medical regiment also conducted specialist emergency medical training for Kenya Defence Forces personnel at Kahawa Garrison in Nairobi.
