Kenya and the UK are seeking to broaden their longstanding military partnership into cyber capabilities, maritime security and defence technology.
This is despite differences over the legal framework governing British troops training in Kenya.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya said the aforementioned areas were among those discussed when she hosted UK Minister of State for Defence Lord Coaker at Defence Headquarters in Nairobi on Wednesday.
“Kenya and the UK share a strong and evolving bilateral relationship, anchored in our Commonwealth ties and elevated to a strategic Partnership, with cooperation spanning trade, security, climate action, sustainable development and people-to-people ties,” Tuya said.
She added that the talks explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation in counterterrorism, maritime security, cyber capabilities, joint training, defence modernisation and technology.
“Our defence partnership remains an important pillar of the Kenya-UK relationship and continues to contribute to regional and global security. We reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to deepening this cooperation and advancing our shared interests”.
The UK already trains more than 1,100 Kenya Defence Forces personnel annually, while British troops use the British Army Training Unit Kenya in Laikipia for training and testing.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the UK plans to move towards fewer but larger exercises involving multiple battlegroups, with five exercises scheduled for each of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.
In July 2025, Kenya and the UK committed to a new 2025-2030 Strategic Partnership, which includes cooperation on security, science and technology and emerging technologies.
The two states also agreed to strengthen their response to terrorism, cyberattacks, organised crime and other threats emerging from digital spaces.
The emphasis on cyber and technology also comes as Kenya seeks to modernise its military capabilities and diversify its defence partnerships.
The UK has also announced more than £70 million (Sh16 billion) in defence sales to Kenya during President William Ruto's 2025 visit to London, alongside increased joint training and plans for a new counter-insurgency, terrorism and stability operations centre.
But the relationship hasn’t been cosy all through and through. The two sides are yet to resolve a row over the renewal of their Defence Cooperation Agreement, which governs the operations of Batuk.
Although the two countries signed a new agreement in 2021, it has not entered into force because the National Assembly in Kenya has raised reservations over some provisions. These include the jurisdiction of Kenyan courts over British military personnel accused of offences in Kenya. The existing 2016 agreement has continued to operate through mutual extensions.
The disagreement is on the backdrop of allegations surrounding Batuk including claims of misconduct, environmental damage and the death of Kenyan woman Agnes Wanjiru.
The National Assembly Defence Committee in 2025 recommended amendments to the proposed agreement, including stronger accountability provisions.
Activists and families of alleged victims have petitioned Parliament against ratification until outstanding cases and accountability concerns are addressed.
The dispute has already had operational consequences, with the British Army initially cancelling a September training exercise in Kenya in July amid the unresolved disagreement over the defence agreement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, intervened in the matter, albeit temporarily.
Kenya has also been pursuing a wider network of defence partnerships through a number of defence deals with different countries.
In October 25, Nairobi signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement with France, while in January 2026 it signed another with the Czech Republic covering military training, intelligence sharing, maritime security and cybersecurity.
Kenya also signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement with Türkiye in May 2026 on military training, defence industry cooperation, technology exchange and modernisation.
The recent agreements point to Nairobi’s interest and focus on defence technology, training and specialised capabilities from multiple partners.
