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UK to pay £2.9 million compensation for 2021 Kenyan army drill fire

The United Kingdom has agreed to pay £2.9 million ($4 million) in compensation to residents living near a Kenyan wildlife conservancy after a fire sparked by a British military exercise in 2021.

The blaze broke out in March 2021 at the Lolldaiga conservancy in central Kenya’s Laikipia region, where the British army maintains a training base in the town of Nanyuki. The fire destroyed large areas of the reserve and left behind ordnance that injured locals. More than 7,000 residents filed claims, citing health issues and environmental damage caused by the smoke, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

“We arrived at a settlement and have dispatched payments,” lawyer Kelvin Kubai, who represented the plaintiffs, told Reuters, describing the compensation as redress for “smoke nuisance” caused by the blaze.

The incident drew widespread criticism at the time after a British soldier appeared to claim responsibility for the fire in a social media post. The British High Commissioner to Kenya condemned the remarks and confirmed that the Royal Military Police had opened an investigation.

In a statement on Friday, the British High Commission in Nairobi expressed regret over the fire and the length of time it had taken to resolve the matter. “The Lolldaiga fire was extremely regrettable, and the UK recognises the frustration this has caused within the affected communities,” the spokesperson said.



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