Kenya-France military pact: Have we learnt nothing from Batuk?

President William Ruto with French President Emmanuel Macron during the Global Financial Pact Summit in Paris, France. [File, Standard]

Kenya’s latest defence cooperation agreement with France exposes how little the state has learned from its own history. The recently ratified Kenya–France military pact grants French troops operating in the country diplomatic-style privileges and legal protections, including jurisdictional shields that allow their home country to retain primary authority over offences committed in the course of duty. These provisions, which also include the possibility of serving sentences outside Kenya and protections against certain penalties, have already raised alarm about impunity and sovereignty.