Four years have passed since the fire in the Lolldaiga reserve in central Kenya. Around 12,000 hectares of private land were destroyed by the fire, which is believed to have been caused by a overturned camping stove during a British military exercise.
Since then, a prolonged legal battle has been ongoing between the British government and over 7,700 locals who claim to have suffered material losses, health damage and a polluted living environment.
Now, a settlement has been reached out of court. According to a confidential settlement document that CNN has been made aware of, the United Kingdom has agreed to compensate the thousands of affected individuals with a total of just over 37 million kronor.
The money will not be divided equally among all, and according to local politician Cate Waruguru, the compensation for many will amount to the equivalent of 1,600 kronor.
It is a success story because it is the first time ever that we have won a case against the British army in Kenya, but at the same time it is so little that it hardly becomes any money at all, says Waruguru to CNN.
A spokesperson for the British Embassy in Nairobi says in a comment to the channel that they have "devoted significant time, effort and resources" to reaching an agreement with those affected.
