‘They told me he was dead’: Children born near army base learn truth about UK soldier dads

James Netto, a UK solicitor, has spearheaded an innovative DNA and legal initiative that has enabled Kenyan children to trace their fathers among British military personnel stationed at the Batuk base. This effort has led to the confirmation of paternity in 12 cases, with the UK’s top Family Court judge overseeing the process. The breakthrough offers financial support and citizenship rights to many of these children, who previously lacked knowledge of their origins or had been told their fathers were no longer alive.

Edward, a nine-year-old boy with a lighter skin tone than his peers, has endured years of bullying due to his appearance. His father, a British soldier, vanished before Edward’s birth, leaving his mother, Nasibo, to face extreme poverty and familial rejection. Now, through this DNA-driven effort, Edward’s father has been identified as one of the 19 military personnel linked to children born near the Batuk base. The process has revealed biological connections for a significant number of these children, some as young as three, others as old as 70.

A legacy of absence and impact

Located in Nanyuki, a town 185km north of Nairobi, the Batuk base has been a focal point of controversy for decades. A 2023 Kenyan parliamentary inquiry released last December highlighted British soldiers’ involvement in a ‘culture of impunity’ at Batuk, leading to sexual abuse, two murder allegations, rights abuses, environmental damage, and neglect of local children. The UK Ministry of Defence acknowledged these issues, stating it “deeply regrets” them and continues to address them through available measures.

“I used to think they were gentlemen,” Nasibo said of the British military. She believed Edward’s father truly loved and cared for her, even writing a letter before her pregnancy to thank her for making her son happy. When she informed him of her expecting child, he seemed thrilled, urging her to name the boy after his brother if it was a son and returning from the UK with an engagement ring. But months later, he left abruptly, claiming an emergency, and cut all contact.

Edward’s mother was forced to leave her family home by relatives, and the boy faced ridicule at school, often called “the British coloniser.” The UK’s military presence in Kenya, which lasted from 1895 to 1963, has left a complex legacy for generations. Netto, who began investigating in 2024, partnered with genetics professor Denise Syndercombe Court to gather DNA samples. Using commercial genealogy databases, they cross-referenced profiles to identify absent fathers, uncovering connections from distant relatives to direct matches.

With nearly 30 million genetic profiles available on Ancestry.com by last year, the team was surprised by the volume of leads. “We had completely distant family members, we had relatively close family members, all the way up to the bullseye hit of fathers being named and identified,” Netto explained. The process has not only restored identities but also opened doors to citizenship and child support for those under 18. For Edward and Nasibo, the discovery marks a turning point, as their father’s name is now officially recognized after years of uncertainty.