Seven Kenyan citizens have successfully proven in a London Family Court that they were fathered by British men stationed at an army base in Kenya. The ruling marks the first time that publicly available DNA databases have been used to establish paternity in a UK court, paving the way for the individuals to apply for British citizenship.
The claimants were linked to men who had served with the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) or worked there as civilian contractors. Their legal team, led by British lawyer James Netto and geneticist Professor Denise Syndercombe Court, gathered DNA samples and personal testimonies from individuals in the Nanyuki region, where the base is located.
By matching genetic data through commercial DNA databases, the team was able to identify biological fathers and confirm parentage. The outcome has been described as groundbreaking, both legally and scientifically.
One of the claimants, 33-year-old chef Peter Wambugu, said he had always known his father was a British soldier but had never met him. After being reunited through the DNA findings, he said the experience brought him “joy after years of pain and discrimination.”
Another claimant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had only met her father once as a child and had long struggled with feelings of abandonment.
Speaking after the ruling, Netto described the decision as “the end of an incredibly difficult journey” for the families involved, adding that many more people in the Nanyuki area may be in similar situations.
Lawyer and campaigner Andrew Macleod, who also worked on the DNA project, said he hoped the ruling would encourage greater accountability from the Ministry of Defence regarding paternity claims linked to BATUK servicemen.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated that paternity claims involving UK military personnel are considered private matters but noted that the government cooperates with local child support authorities where such claims arise.
Source: LIIE IMMIGRATION
