Through the Blue Planet Fund (BPF), the UK is committed to protecting marine ecosystems and increasing resilience in climate-vulnerable coastal communities.

Under the BPF, long-term sustainability is consistently considered throughout each programme’s lifecycle. Long-term impacts are considered from the outset, and progress is monitored through evaluation frameworks to assess lasting environmental, social and economic outcomes. All programmes are expected to incorporate clear exit and sustainability strategies.

Recognising the global finance gap for the ocean, and in alignment with UK policy on nature and climate finance, the BPF actively focuses efforts on mobilising and scaling accessible finance for sustainable ocean outcomes and poverty reduction through its portfolio of marine Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes. This is in line with wider development reforms set out by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office earlier this year.

Defra appraises the potential impact of all investments through business cases using Green Book methodologies. Defra has a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system in place to continually assess the performance of its Official Development Assistance programmes. The outcomes of Blue Planet Fund programmes are monitored using a range of metrics, such as the International Climate Finance and Defra International Key Performance Indicators where results are published annually. These indicators include “funding mobilised for climate change purposes”, “area under sustainable management practices”, and “people benefitting from strengthened or new livelihoods”. For example, the Blue Planet Fund has brought over 410,000 ha under sustainable management practices. The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Blue Planet Fund which will go beyond indicator results to explore in-depth topics such as value for money and sustainability. This includes some country-level case studies.

In accordance with the Defence Cooperation Agreement, the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) routinely engages with the Kenyan Police and supports the adaption of ‘What Works’ approaches through regular, collaborative engagement between the Royal Military Police and the Kenyan Police. These engagements deliver operational benefits by improving crime reduction methods. An example of this mutual cooperation is the adoption of Problem Oriented Policing, which includes targeted patrols in jointly identified ‘hotspot’ areas.

In relation to risks to the UK public, I refer the Hon Member to my statement to the House on 21 May (HCWS60), but I would also stress that there have been no confirmed cases in Kenya arising from the current Ebola outbreak. The Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice page for Kenya has been updated to refer to health screening measures in Kenya.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations by country for the next three years will be published no later than in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts this summer.

Teams across the FCDO and our country network are considering how best to prioritise their ODA allocations, including as part of portfolio strategies which will help deliver a more coordinated approach to our work in partner countries. We are therefore unable to provide details on individual programme decisions. Updates to UK ODA programmes are published on DevTracker on GOV.UK each month.

We are reducing ODA gradually to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027 to allow time for programming to be reprioritised in a way which is considered and deliberate. Setting three years of allocations from 2026/27 to 2028/29 provides the predictability our teams need to effectively manage reductions, including responsibly exiting programmes where necessary.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations by country for the next three years will be published no later than in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) Annual Report & Accounts this summer.

Teams across the FCDO and our country network are considering how best to prioritise their ODA allocations, including as part of portfolio strategies which will help deliver a more coordinated approach to our work in partner countries. We are therefore unable to provide details on individual programme decisions. Updates to UK ODA programmes are published on DevTracker on GOV.UK each month.

We are reducing ODA gradually to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income by 2027 to allow time for programming to be reprioritised in a way which is considered and deliberate. Setting three years of allocations from 2026/27 to 2028/29 provides the predictability our teams need to effectively manage reductions, including responsibly exiting programmes where necessary.

All UK High Commissioners work towards the priority objectives that guide the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as a whole, along with any specific goals the Department has agreed for the country or region in question, such as those in the new Approach to Africa I set out on 15 December 2025 (HLWS1168). The work of the British High Commission Nairobi is also guided by the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership (2025-2030), which was signed by the Prime Minister and President Ruto in London in July 2025, and has four pillars: Trade, Investment and Green Growth, Climate and Nature, Science and Technology and Security and Stability.

There is one permanent training village at Nyati Barracks. In addition, two temporary wooden training villages are currently erected on the training areas at Lolldaiga Conservancy and Ole Naishu estate. These temporary facilities are assembled and dismantled as required and leave no permanent footprint.

There has been no reduction in the number of usable training villages since 5 July 2024. These facilities are temporary and are only assembled during exercising periods, so their number naturally fluctuates. The overall capacity for temporary infrastructure on Kenyan training areas (approximately 200 wooden buildings) has remained unchanged since 2024.

There is one permanent training village at Nyati Barracks. In addition, two temporary wooden training villages are currently erected on the training areas at Lolldaiga Conservancy and Ole Naishu estate. These temporary facilities are assembled and dismantled as required and leave no permanent footprint.

There has been no reduction in the number of usable training villages since 5 July 2024. These facilities are temporary and are only assembled during exercising periods, so their number naturally fluctuates. The overall capacity for temporary infrastructure on Kenyan training areas (approximately 200 wooden buildings) has remained unchanged since 2024.

The number of live firing exercises, by financial year (FY), are below:

As at October 2025 (latest available figure) there were 200 UK Regular¹ Armed Forces Service personnel permanently stationed² at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK³).

Notes/Caveats

1. UK Regulars comprise full time service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, Mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Includes trained and untrained personnel.
2. The figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn't necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the home port of their ship.
3. BATUK has been derived from the Location Unit field in Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Table 1. Number of UK Regular¹ Armed Forces Service Personnel stationed² at BATUK³ 2016 – 2025.

Source: Analysis(Tri Service)

Notes/Caveats

1. UK Regulars comprise full time service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, Mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Includes trained and untrained personnel.
2. The figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn't necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the home port of their ship.
3. BATUK has been derived from the Location Unit field in Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Table 2. Number of unique UK Armed Forces Service Personnel³ Deployed² to BATUK⁷ in each of the last 10 Financial Years^5,6,8

Source: Analysis (Tri Service)

Notes/Caveats

1. Deployment data are derived from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) `Move and Track` system. Due to ongoing validation of data from JPA, figures provided are provisional and subject to change. Figures have been derived from the October 2025 deployment extract.
2. Deployment data are derived from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) `Move and Track` system. Due to ongoing validation of data from JPA, figures provided are provisional and subject to change. Figures have been derived from the October 2025 deployment extract.
3. ‘UK Forces Service Personnel’ comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS).
4. Service personnel data is derived from the JPA system, which is a combination of mandatory and non-mandatory fields populated by unit administrators and voluntary fields that Armed Forces personnel can choose to complete based on their perceptions.
5. The Date of Deployment is the 'deployed date in' as recorded on JPA 'Move and Track' system. This is the date personnel deployed into the respective count.
6. Please note: the total does not include repeat tours within the same calendar year so each individual is only recorded once per financial year. If personnel began a deployment in multiple financial years, then they would be reported in each financial year they were deployed in. Hence, figures can not be combined to give an overall number of unique personnel deployed over this whole period.
7. BATUK has been derived from the Location Unit field in Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
8. The Financial Year for Defence Statistics purposes starts on 1 April and ends on 31 March.
9. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

The Army continually reviews equipment allocations to ensure training needs are met. For operational security reasons, we do not release details of equipment holdings, changes in quantities, or future allocations at specific locations, including the British Army Training Unit Kenya.

The Army continually reviews equipment allocations to ensure training needs are met. For operational security reasons, we do not release details of equipment holdings, changes in quantities, or future allocations at specific locations, including the British Army Training Unit Kenya.

As at October 2025 (latest available figure) there were 200 UK Regular¹ Armed Forces Service personnel permanently stationed² at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK³).

Notes/Caveats

1. UK Regulars comprise full time service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, Mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Includes trained and untrained personnel.
2. The figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn't necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the home port of their ship.
3. BATUK has been derived from the Location Unit field in Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Table 1. Number of UK Regular¹ Armed Forces Service Personnel stationed² at BATUK³ 2016 – 2025.

Source: Analysis(Tri Service)

Notes/Caveats

1. UK Regulars comprise full time service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, Mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Includes trained and untrained personnel.
2. The figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn't necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. The Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the home port of their ship.
3. BATUK has been derived from the Location Unit field in Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Table 2. Number of unique UK Armed Forces Service Personnel³ Deployed² to BATUK⁷ in each of the last 10 Financial Years^5,6,8

Source: Analysis (Tri Service)

Notes/Caveats

1. Deployment data are derived from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) `Move and Track` system. Due to ongoing validation of data from JPA, figures provided are provisional and subject to change. Figures have been derived from the October 2025 deployment extract.
2. Deployment data are derived from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) `Move and Track` system. Due to ongoing validation of data from JPA, figures provided are provisional and subject to change. Figures have been derived from the October 2025 deployment extract.
3. ‘UK Forces Service Personnel’ comprises UK Regular Forces, Gurkhas, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Volunteer Reserve, Serving Regular Reserve, Sponsored Reserve, and Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS).
4. Service personnel data is derived from the JPA system, which is a combination of mandatory and non-mandatory fields populated by unit administrators and voluntary fields that Armed Forces personnel can choose to complete based on their perceptions.
5. The Date of Deployment is the 'deployed date in' as recorded on JPA 'Move and Track' system. This is the date personnel deployed into the respective count.
6. Please note: the total does not include repeat tours within the same calendar year so each individual is only recorded once per financial year. If personnel began a deployment in multiple financial years, then they would be reported in each financial year they were deployed in. Hence, figures can not be combined to give an overall number of unique personnel deployed over this whole period.
7. BATUK has been derived from the Location Unit field in Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).
8. The Financial Year for Defence Statistics purposes starts on 1 April and ends on 31 March.
9. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent inadvertent disclosure. However, numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) continues to be used for both training and testing activity, including for uncrewed systems, and will remain a location for the Army’s testing of such systems throughout the current Parliament.

Five exercises are scheduled to take place in each of financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Regarding future use of BATUK, the Defence Cooperation Agreement limits annual exercising personnel to 8,000. While the number of exercises is likely to reduce, the Army intends to shift towards fewer but larger brigade level exercises involving multiple battlegroups, rather than single battlegroup deployments.

This financial year, we forecast expenditure of approximately £56 million for the conduct of military exercises and the maintenance of BATUK, with costs expected to rise to reflect the conduct of larger exercises throughout FY2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Costs beyond FY 2027-28 are not expected to diverge significantly.

*Data for FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 may be incomplete due to MOD data retention policy.‑retention policy.

British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) continues to be used for both training and testing activity, including for uncrewed systems, and will remain a location for the Army’s testing of such systems throughout the current Parliament.

Five exercises are scheduled to take place in each of financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Regarding future use of BATUK, the Defence Cooperation Agreement limits annual exercising personnel to 8,000. While the number of exercises is likely to reduce, the Army intends to shift towards fewer but larger brigade level exercises involving multiple battlegroups, rather than single battlegroup deployments.

This financial year, we forecast expenditure of approximately £56 million for the conduct of military exercises and the maintenance of BATUK, with costs expected to rise to reflect the conduct of larger exercises throughout FY2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Costs beyond FY 2027-28 are not expected to diverge significantly.

*Data for FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 may be incomplete due to MOD data retention policy.‑retention policy.

British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) continues to be used for both training and testing activity, including for uncrewed systems, and will remain a location for the Army’s testing of such systems throughout the current Parliament.

Five exercises are scheduled to take place in each of financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Regarding future use of BATUK, the Defence Cooperation Agreement limits annual exercising personnel to 8,000. While the number of exercises is likely to reduce, the Army intends to shift towards fewer but larger brigade level exercises involving multiple battlegroups, rather than single battlegroup deployments.

This financial year, we forecast expenditure of approximately £56 million for the conduct of military exercises and the maintenance of BATUK, with costs expected to rise to reflect the conduct of larger exercises throughout FY2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Costs beyond FY 2027-28 are not expected to diverge significantly.

*Data for FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 may be incomplete due to MOD data retention policy.‑retention policy.

British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) continues to be used for both training and testing activity, including for uncrewed systems, and will remain a location for the Army’s testing of such systems throughout the current Parliament.

Five exercises are scheduled to take place in each of financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Regarding future use of BATUK, the Defence Cooperation Agreement limits annual exercising personnel to 8,000. While the number of exercises is likely to reduce, the Army intends to shift towards fewer but larger brigade level exercises involving multiple battlegroups, rather than single battlegroup deployments.

This financial year, we forecast expenditure of approximately £56 million for the conduct of military exercises and the maintenance of BATUK, with costs expected to rise to reflect the conduct of larger exercises throughout FY2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Costs beyond FY 2027-28 are not expected to diverge significantly.

*Data for FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 may be incomplete due to MOD data retention policy.‑retention policy.

British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) continues to be used for both training and testing activity, including for uncrewed systems, and will remain a location for the Army’s testing of such systems throughout the current Parliament.

Five exercises are scheduled to take place in each of financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Regarding future use of BATUK, the Defence Cooperation Agreement limits annual exercising personnel to 8,000. While the number of exercises is likely to reduce, the Army intends to shift towards fewer but larger brigade level exercises involving multiple battlegroups, rather than single battlegroup deployments.

This financial year, we forecast expenditure of approximately £56 million for the conduct of military exercises and the maintenance of BATUK, with costs expected to rise to reflect the conduct of larger exercises throughout FY2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Costs beyond FY 2027-28 are not expected to diverge significantly.

*Data for FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 may be incomplete due to MOD data retention policy.‑retention policy.

British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) continues to be used for both training and testing activity, including for uncrewed systems, and will remain a location for the Army’s testing of such systems throughout the current Parliament.

Five exercises are scheduled to take place in each of financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Regarding future use of BATUK, the Defence Cooperation Agreement limits annual exercising personnel to 8,000. While the number of exercises is likely to reduce, the Army intends to shift towards fewer but larger brigade level exercises involving multiple battlegroups, rather than single battlegroup deployments.

This financial year, we forecast expenditure of approximately £56 million for the conduct of military exercises and the maintenance of BATUK, with costs expected to rise to reflect the conduct of larger exercises throughout FY2026-27 and FY 2027-28. Costs beyond FY 2027-28 are not expected to diverge significantly.

*Data for FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 may be incomplete due to MOD data retention policy.‑retention policy.