The UK government has agreed to pay compensation to thousands of Kenyans whose lives were upended by a fire sparked during a British military training exercise in 2021.

The fire, which broke out in the Lolldaiga conservancy in Kenya’s Rift Valley, destroyed nearly a quarter of the reserve and left local communities struggling with the aftermath.

More than 7,700 Kenyans came forward, saying they lost property, suffered health problems, and endured other hardships as a result of the blaze. After years of legal wrangling, the case has finally been settled out of court.

A spokesperson for the British High Commission in Nairobi admitted responsibility, saying: “The UK accepts responsibility for the fire and that is why compensation has been paid. It is the right thing to do.”

While the UK government hasn’t confirmed the exact payout, the lawyer representing the claimants, Kevin Kubai, told the BBC that the settlement amounted to £2.9 million.

Kubai described it as the “best possible outcome,” noting that while many of his clients felt the payments were too small to truly reflect their losses, dragging the case on for several more years would have been nearly impossible. Evidence had already been lost over time, and many claims—such as smoke-related health problems—were hard to prove without medical records.

The British Ministry of Defence previously said the fire was likely started by a knocked-over camp stove during training. Around 7,000 acres of private land were damaged. While no community land was directly burned, nearby villagers argued that smoke, destruction of crops, and even stampeding wildlife devastated their lives.

The UK has also helped fund restoration work in the conservancy, which remains a key training ground for the British Army. Lolldaiga itself spans 49,000 acres of rolling bushland at the foot of Mount Kenya, part of the Laikipia plateau—an area still scarred by colonial-era land disputes.

Only a short distance away are the Nyati Barracks, a £70 million facility where thousands of British troops rotate through each year for tough environmental training. The British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) is a major contributor to the local economy, pumping millions of pounds annually into the region.

But Batuk’s presence has not been without controversy. Over the years, the unit has faced scrutiny over allegations ranging from fatal accidents to sexual exploitation, fueling ongoing tensions between soldiers and the communities hosting them.

For now, though, the settlement brings a measure of closure to thousands of Kenyans who have waited four long years for acknowledgment—and at least some compensation—for the damage caused by the fire. Photo by Ninara, Wikimedia commons.