NAIROBI – For the first time, Britain's government has agreed to pay out millions in pounds to Kenyans to settle a civil lawsuit after its military forces had their legal immunity in Kenya lifted.

The payout of 2.9 million British pounds ($3.9 million) to settle damages for a wildfire accidentally started by British soldiers in Kenya in 2021 follows a landmark ruling that stripped the U.K. government and British Army of immunity from Kenyan civil suits.

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That has opened a new chapter in accountability for foreign militaries' actions on Kenyan soil, and the British military deployment in the country faces a series of controversies over the conduct of its personnel both in Kenyan and U.K. courts.

Damage would take decades to restore

Over 7,700 Kenyans and an environ

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