Seven Kenyans prove paternity against British soldiers

At least seven people from Kenya have proved paternity case against British military following a court battle in Family Court in London where they have been tracking their lineage after it emerged that they were fathered by the Britons.

The British Army Training Unit (Batuk) has been operating in Kenya for years and the commercially available DNA databases were used to identify otherwise unknown fathers. Six had served at the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (Batuk) and one worked as a contractor, BBC reports.

The decision opens the door for the offspring to apply for British citizenship. They were represented in court by British Lawyer James Netto who worked with leading geneticist Denise Syndercombe Court.

The team identified many people who believe that their fathers were British soldiers who worked in Batuk, the largest overseas training base in Africa. Publicly available DNA databases were then used to try to locate any family members in the UK.

Peter Wambugu, one of the claimants, said he grew tp knowing his father was a soldier but now at 33, they had never met. Peter said his mother told him that his father "was a good man". He added: "She told me he said he will be back one day, but he never came."

"So all the pain that I've been carrying all these 30 years, all the discrimination I get from people, that pain has come out as joy," he said.

Reacting to the ruling, James Netto said: "For many families, today's hearing marks the end of an incredibly difficult journey that for so long felt impossible. Children and young people who previously only had questions, now have answers."

Andrew Macleod – a lawyer and campaigner involved in the DNA project – said he hoped that today's case would encourage the Ministry of Defence to take on more responsibility for paternity claims made against Batuk servicemen.

The Ministry of Defence told the BBC that "while paternity claims against UK Service Personnel are a private life issue, the government cooperates with local child support authorities where there are claims relating to paternity".

The BBC has been following this story over the last year as part of an upcoming five-part World of Secrets podcast. Batuk is found in Nanyuki, Kenya where the local troops and those from neighbouring countries are trained by British soldiers.

GAROWE ONLINE