There is no other option apart from the legal action

Spokesman for the herders

Lawyers from a UK law firm, Leigh Day and Company, are currently in Kenya collecting evidence to be presented in a case.

The UK army enjoys training facilities in Kenya under an agreement between the two countries.

Investigation

The lawyers have recorded the cases of 15 herders being either killed or maimed by unexploded objects left behind by units of the UK army, during their training in northern Kenya.

There are about 100 others that could come forward.

Herdsmen have lost their cattle

This is not the first time that the herders have pushed debate on the subject of UK army training facilities in Kenya into the public domain.

No option

Umar Abdi of the Kenya Pastoralists Forum said they have decided to take the legal path as a last resort.

"People have held workshops, compensation has been claimed, people have talked to the British... but nothing has come up.

"So, unfortunatey, there is no other option apart from the legal action."

It is not just compensation for human life that the herders are seeking, they also want to be compensated for the livestock they have lost.

Tragedy

Community leader Mohamed Sheikh described how one boy lost the bull he was looking after.

"I came across a boy who was proud of his bull... when he came across this shiny, nice looking object.

"He tied it around the bull's neck. The object blew up the bull... the boy himself was almost killed."

No date has been set for a court case despite the fact that the lawyers say that they now have enough evidence to sue.

If it does go to court the law firm handling the case is optimistic about the outcome.

It has successfully sued the British government once before on behalf of communities affected by the mining of asbestos in Botswana.