The United Kingdom has cancelled one of its annual military training exercises in Kenya after it failed to secure the government approvals needed to carry out the drills, the British Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
The exercise, which was scheduled to take place later this year in Laikipia, has now been moved to another country. British officials did not reveal the new location or explain why the required licence was not granted.
Kenya hosts the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), a permanent military training facility in Laikipia, around 200 kilometres north of the capital, Nairobi. Under a long-standing defence agreement, thousands of British troops travel to Kenya each year for military exercises.
Despite the cancellation, the UK said the decision would not affect its wider defence cooperation with Kenya, describing the partnership between the two countries as unchanged.
Britain and Kenya have maintained close military ties since the East African country gained independence in 1963. The training programme has long been a key part of that relationship.
However, BATUK has faced public scrutiny in recent years following several high-profile criminal cases involving British soldiers, including allegations of murder and rape, which have sparked debate over the presence of foreign troops in Kenya.