Page 76 - RADC Bulletin 2021

DEPLOYMENT
British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK)
Capt K Trinick
LCpl Cacho and I are currently posted
to BATUK, on a six-month field army temporary duty posting. We are the first dental team to be assigned to this posting, joining the large number of service personnel who surge to staff BATUK on a Temporary Duty Staff (TDS) six monthly rota.
On 24 June 2021 we flew to Nairobi to start our work here. Before flying we had to have a negative COVID PCR test and then as Great Britain is on Kenya’s red list, we had to isolate for 7 days in BATUK Rear Kifaru Barracks in Nairobi. This is a very unique barracks, as it is located within the perimeter of a Kenyan Defence Force (KDF) Barracks known as Kahawa Barracks. Here we stayed in smaller bubbles of up to 14 people and got a second COVID PCR test on day 4, which had to be negative for us to travel 4 hours
up north to BATUK Main, Nyati Barracks in Nanyuki. Nyati Barracks sits at 2000m above sea level at the base of Mt Kenya, which
is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro.
Our role is predominantly to work in collaboration with DPHC(D) to get the
Nyati Dental Centre up and running. This involves everything from changes to the infrastructure to sourcing equipment to ensuring all SOPs and policies are adhered to. Lt Col Thomas and his RHQ team at DPHC(O) have all worked very hard for a very long time to make this happen and their work has been instrumental in getting Nyati
Dental Centre to where it is today. However, it hasn’t all been work! We
have both been making the most of Kenya; getting out and travelling around this beautiful country. The safari opportunities are second to none, with sightings of zebra, elephants, rhino, lions, warthogs, buffalo and giraffes on the conservancy just 30 minutes from camp. I visited the Maasai Mara to see the wildebeest migration, which was an amazing spectacle. We have both been lucky enough to travel to the coast and visit Diani Beach, world renowned for its miles of white sandy beaches and coral reefs.
It is very exciting to see Nyati Dental Centre coming together. The aim is to be at initial operating capacity (IOC) by December. There is still a lot of work to be done to reach this target, but it is a great privilege to have the opportunity to help Lt Col Thomas and his team set up a dental centre from scratch.
Swahili
English translation
Kifaru Barracks
Rhino Barracks
Nyati Barracks
Buffalo Barracks
Kahawa Barracks
Coffee Barracks
Meno
Tooth
Mdomo
Mouth
Daktari wa meno
Dentist
Muuguzi wa meno
Dental Nurse
Mswaki
Toothbrush
Dawa ya meno
Toothpaste
Uchuugu kwa meno
Toothache
74 RADC BULLETIN 2021