'Dem tell us say e don die' - children wey dem born near army base know di true tori about dia UK soja fathers

"Edward", one nine-year-old boy from Kenya, don always sabi say im papa dey work for British military. Di boy skin colour, wey light pass im mates, don make dem bully am for many years.

Im papa disappear bifor dem born Edward [no be im real name]. Im papa leave im mama wey dey live for serious poverty, and some of her family members no dey gree near am.

Now dis man, wey bin work as contractor for British army base for Kenya, togeda wit 19 odas wey serve as sojas for dia, dem don identify dem through one special DNA and legal process as di fathers of children wey dem wey born near di base, and dem don track dem down.

So far, di UK highest Family Court judge don legally confam paternity for 12 of di cases.

Di process dey provide answers for children wey dem no sabi wia, or even for some cases who dia fathers be - or wey dem bin make believe say dem don die.

All of dem dey find answers about dia background, and dem don face financial hardship. Most of di 12 confirmed cases now fit register for British citizenship. Dose wey dey under 18 or still dey further dia education go qualify for child support.

UK solicitor James Netto, and Kelvin Kubai, one lawyer wey dey find clients for Kenya, tok say nearly 100 documented cases dey of children wey dem born near di British Army Training Unit for Kenya (Batuk) to British sojas. Netto believe say di number fit plenty pass like dat.

Batuk, wey dem set up for 1964 and wey more dan 5,000 British personnel dey pass through evri year, don attract plenty controversy for di many years wey e don dey for Nanyuki, one market town 185km (115 miles) north of Nairobi.

One two-year Kenyan parliamentary inquiry wey dem publish last December accuse British sojas say dem dey operate within "a culture of impunity" for di base, wey result to sexual abuse, two allegations of murder, rights violations, environmental destruction and di abandonment and neglect of local children.

Di UK Ministry of Defence respond say dem "deeply regret dose issues and challenges wey don arise in relation to di UK defence presence for Kenya… We continue to take action wherever possible to address dem".

James Netto first hear about di issue of children wey dey find dia papa for Nanyuki for 2024. E join bodi wit leading genetics professor Denise Syndercombe Court and dem arrive for Kenya "wit one suitcase wey DNA kits full".

Dem kon cross-check di DNA samples wey dem gada wit di genetic profiles wey dey available to view for commercial genealogy databases to find di missing British military fathers of clients from di age of three to 70.

"Notin like dis don eva happun bifor, wia dem dey use DNA testing on dis kind scale" for UK courts, Netto tok. And e and im team get one veri big pool of genetic information to compare dia samples wit. By last year, e reach almost 30 million profiles wey dey available for Ancestry.com, di biggest of di commercial DNA websites wey Syndercombe Court join and use as dia main source.

Netto say dem no get idea how many leads dem go get and dem shock for di good results. "We get completely distant family members, we get relatively close family members, reach di point wey fathers name come out clear and dem identify dem."

Di breakthrough fit change life completely for Edward and im mama Nasibo, as e go now qualify for financial support from im papa.

"I bin dey tink say dem be gentlemen," Nasibo tok about di British military. She believe say Edward papa really love and care for her. We don see one letter wey di soja mama write give Nasibo, bifor she get belle, tanking her for making her son happy. And wen Nasibo tell am say she dey expect pikin, she say e look veri happy. E tell am make she name di pikin afta im broda if na boy, she tok, and e come back from one trip to UK wit engagement ring.

But wen Nasibo don reach four months belle, she say e tell am say e must return to UK sake of emergency and e cut all contact.

Nasibo say some of her relatives force am to leave di family house, and her son dey face bullying for school sake of im lighter skin.

"Dem dey call am 'di British coloniser'," she tell us. UK bin rule Kenya from 1895 to 1963.

Netto fit locate Edward papa afta di court order Ministry of Defence, Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs to share di man name and address. Di man don tell Netto make e no share im contact details with Nasibo or dia son, but di lawyer don start di process for court to force am to pay child maintenance.

Anoda Kenyan girl, 18-year-old Yvonne, no even know much about her papa pass wetin Edward don know about im own papa. Dem bin tell am say e serve for British military but she no get im name, and she grow up dey believe say e don die. Her mama die wen she still be baby, and sojas for Batuk allegedly tell her grandparents say her papa don die.

Di legal project don show - through match wit di man mama cousin, wey her DNA dey uploaded to Ancestry.com - say actually her papa dey alive and dey live for UK.

Afta e break five court orders, e later come show for di day wey dem dey hear im case. E request DNA test to confam say na im be Yvonne papa, and di result wey come out one week later show say na true.

For now, e no want contact wit Yvonne. But im mama cousin say she wan meet Yvonne.

No be all di fathers wey dem identify dey avoid contact.

Phill, one former British soja wey dey stationed for Nanyuki for 2004, say e dey enjoy to dey know im daughter Cathy, 20. Bifor, e bin propose to Cathy mama, Maggie, and spend time wit im daughter during di first months of di baby life. But wen e move go anoda deployment, e say dem tiff im phone and e lose dia contact details.

Maggie feel say e go easier to tell Cathy say her papa don die. But as she grow, Cathy later discover say e still dey alive and try message am for Facebook, but e say e block her accounts sake of say e no recognise dem.

For dat time, e tok say e don leave di Army and for some period e dey homeless and dey struggle wit im mental health. "To move enta civilian life no easy," e tok.

Cathy sef dey struggle dat time, and e reach point wey she try take her own life.

"While I dey grow up, I feel say I really need one papa figure bicos some tins dey wey my mama no fit understand bicos of race and all dat. E make me feel veri lonely.

"Get one part of you wey you no know anytin about. Like e just be mystery to you."

Now wey dem don confam im paternity for UK courts, Phill say e dey glad say dem find am, and e describe am as "veri happy surprise".

E tok say e dey in touch wit Cathy, and e don already dey give her and Maggie small financial support.

"I tell Cathy… no mata wetin I do, I no fit make up for all di time wey I don lose wit her. But all I fit do na to try my best."

Cathy now dey hope say she go visit UK.

Netto tok say, as far as e sabi, Phill na di only one among im clients fathers wey don dey send money give dia children so far.

We ask local Kenyan lawyer Kelvin Kubai, wey set up one charity wey dem dey call Connecting Roots Kenya to help support British sojas children financially, if e believe say dem suppose put total ban on dis kain relationships, considering di number of pikin wey dem born outside marriage. E strongly no gree.

"Dis [go] dey veri racist for nature bicos you dey ask mainly white sojas make dem avoid black women [just] bicos dem fit bring dem problem. Di only… solution wey fit work… [na] to make sure say dis men take responsibility wen dem born pikin during dia training period for Kenya."

Netto and Kubai tok say dia work still dey continue, and more cases go soon go befor di High Court for di next few months.

Di Ministry of Defence tell us: "If criminal accusation of illegal activity against UK Service Personnel no dey, and no specific concerns from local police, den UK MoD no go investigate. Some of di paternity claims fit come from consensual relationships, wey no dey against UK MoD policy."

Brig Simon Ridgway, wey be commanding officer of di Collective Training Group wey dey handle British Army training, add say dose wey paternity issues affect suppose contact Kenyan national children service. "Dem go kon engage wit di UK and we go provide any support wey concern answering questions and handling dose allegations as dem come."

December Kenyan parliamentary inquiry call on di Nairobi govment make dem put new systems in place "to hold Batuk sojas responsible for child support to children wey dem born from consensual relationships, including DNA testing and psychosocial support for children wey Batuk sojas born."