The Chief of the General Staff of the UK army, General Sir Roland Walker, pledged deeper joint training, counter-terrorism cooperation and leadership development to the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) during his visit to Kenya.
General Sir Roland Walker, Chief of the General Staff of the United Kingdom, visited Kenya on March 17, 2026, for a familiarisation tour aimed at deepening defence cooperation between Kenya and the UK. He met Chief of the Defence Forces, General Charles Kahariri, at Defence Headquarters in Nairobi, where they reviewed the longstanding military partnership and discussed ways to enhance joint training, capacity building, and operational collaboration against regional and global security challenges. Walker also engaged with Kenya Army Commander, Lieutenant General David Ketter, on strengthening military-to-military collaboration. The delegation toured Kenya Navy Base Manda Bay in Lamu County, receiving briefings on counter-terrorism operations in the Boni Forest region and efforts to secure Kenya's coastline. The visit occurs amid public questions over foreign military presence in the country, including over 800 French soldiers who docked at Mombasa port on March 13 for a five-month training stint with KDF focused on maritime operations, sea coordination, and modern naval tactics. Concerns also surround the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) downscaling its services, leading to local job losses, as the two nations prepare for a major 2026 review of the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA). UK reports indicate plans to maintain BATUK as a key site for testing uncrewed systems through 2026, while shifting to fewer but larger brigade-level exercises instead of frequent single-battlegroup deployments. Over 10,000 British Army personnel rotate annually through Kenya for training, and the UK trains more than 1,000 KDF personnel yearly in both countries, emphasising counter-terrorism and peacekeeping.
