General Service Unit (GSU)
General Service Unit police cordon off Uhuru Park to bar opposition from holding their mass protest rally, January 2008.
General Service Unit police cordon off Uhuru Park to bar opposition from holding their mass protest rally, January 2008.
Agency overview
FormedAugust, 1953
Preceding agency
  • Emergency Company or Regular Police Reserve
Employees≈6000 (2003)[1]
Operational structure
HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
Agency executive
  • Eliud Lagat SAIG, Commandant
Parent agencyKenya Police Service
GSU officers in a parade.

The General Service Unit (GSU) is a paramilitary wing in the Kenya Police Service, consisting of highly trained police officers, transported by seven dedicated Cessnas and three Bell helicopters.[1][2] Having been in existence since 1948, the GSU has fought in a number of conflicts in and around Kenya, including the 1963 – 1969 Shifta War and the 1982 Kenyan coup.[3]

Duties

The objectives of the General Service Unit (GSU) of the Kenya Police are explicitly stated to address various aspects of internal security within the republic. Firstly, the GSU aims to handle situations that impact the nation's internal security, encompassing a broad range of potential threats. Secondly, it is designed to function as a dynamic operational force, emphasizing its role in dealing with evolving challenges rather than being relegated to static duties. Additionally, the GSU serves as a reserve force, specifically tasked with managing special operations and civil disorders, offering crucial support when required.

The functions of the GSU are diverse and integral to ensuring the security and stability of Kenya. Firstly, they are responsible for providing security to His Excellency the President and safeguarding state houses and lodges, ensuring the safety of the nation's leadership. Secondly, the GSU extends its security services to selected foreign airlines operating within the country, reinforcing international safety measures. Thirdly, the unit takes charge of protecting vital installations and strategic points, safeguarding critical infrastructure and assets from potential threats.

Moreover, the GSU is equipped to handle situations involving civil disturbances and riotous mobs, employing appropriate measures to maintain order and protect citizens. In addition to their domestic responsibilities, the GSU actively engages in anti-poaching operations, helping preserve Kenya's natural heritage by combating illegal wildlife activities. The unit is also involved in escort duties, ensuring the safe transportation of valuable assets or personnel.

The GSU plays a pivotal role in tackling banditry and cattle rustling, addressing security concerns in rural areas and safeguarding communities from armed criminal activities. Furthermore, the unit takes on the important responsibility of countering terrorism activities and insurgencies, working to prevent and mitigate potential threats to national security..[4]

History

Police GSU Cessna 208 Caravan

Initially created as the Emergency Company or Regular Police Reserve in 1948, the GSU began as a unit of 50 men armed with Bren guns carriers and armoured cars and was involved in a number of uprisings including the Mau Mau Uprising before being renamed the General Service Unit in September 1953.[4] The newly designated GSU consisted of 47 European officers and 1,058 Africans divided into 5 regional companies each consisting of a number of 39-man platoons.[4] In 1957, the unit was re-organised and all the companies were brought under one commander, a S. G. Thomson.[4] In 1961, the unit deployed outside Kenya for the first time to deal with civil unrest in Zanzibar, and then from 1963 until 1969 the GSU fought the secessionists during the Shifta War.[4]

During the 1990s, the GSU worked in central Kenya to quell socialist political unrest and demonstrations against the Kenyan government, such as the Saba Saba Day (7 July) celebrations of 1990, where 30 people were killed as the police and General Service Units took action.[5] More recently, in July 2005, troops of the GSU were sent to northern Kenya to seek out those responsible for the deaths of 76 people, 22 of them children, at a school in the area.[6] The GSU helped prevent further friction between feuding Gabra and Borana communities when they were transported to the region by two police and two military helicopters, as well as two ministers from the Kenyan government.[6] Currently, the GSU has around 5,000 paramilitary troops, of which 2000 are the Israeli trained and battle hardened 'Recce group'. It is regulated under chapter seven of the National Police Service Standing Orders.[4]

Personnel

Originally, GSU members were drawn from the existing ranks of the Kenyan Police force, were from a number of ethnic backgrounds, and were trained in the Kenya Police College and placed on a two-year tour of duty.[4] However, with the increase of Africanisation in 1963, the majority of members were by 1967 from native Kenyan tribes such as the Luo or the Kikuyu[7][4] who total 5.9 million, equal to about 13% and 7.4 million, equal to about 22% of Kenya's total population, respectively.[8] Most recently, all GSU members have been trained at the GSU-specific Training School in Embakasi and its Field Training Camp in Magadi, on 10-month-long courses, with further 5-month long courses required for promotion.[4] As with various branches of the Kenyan armed forces,[7] the GSU also sends its officers to Great Britain to be trained in such facilities as the Britannia Royal Naval College and Sandhurst.[9]

Structure

The GSU is organised in companies each under a company commander. Four of these companies have commanding officers and they are regarded as the 'big four'. These are:[10]

  • The Headquarters Company based at Ruaraka Nairobi
  • The National Police College Embakasi B Campus
  • The Recce Company based at Ruiru,
  • The (Presidential) Guard Company 'G' company whose officers are solely charged with the duties of protecting the various state houses and lodges.

The other companies have Officer Commanding (OC), and are listed in alphabetical order starting from 'A' company to 'Y' company. There is no 'O' company. Each company consists of three platoons and the company headquarters personnel. Originally a platoon consisted of 30 personnel but nowadays a platoon can have as many as 60 members.

Commanders

Douglas Kanja, former GSU Commandant.
  • S. G. Thompson (19 May 1961 – 17 July 1961)
  • S. G. Smith (27 July 1961 – 20 March 1963)
  • Mackenzie (21 March 1963 – 26 February 1964)
  • R. J. Angel (27 February 1964 – 17 April 1967)
  • B. M. Gethi (18 April 1967 – 1 September 1978)
  • P. Mbuthia (2 September 1978 – 24 August 1982)
  • E. K. Mbijiwe (25 August 1982 – 8 April 1987)
  • J. K. A. Kosgei (8 April 1987 – 9 March 1993)
  • C. C. Kimurgor (10 March 1993 – 29 June 1999)
  • S. K. Cheramboss (29 June 1999 – 30 August 2002)
  • D. M. Kimaiyo (1 September 2002 – 15 January 2003)
  • Lawrence Mwadime (16 January 2003 – 2 June 2005)
  • Mathew Iteere – (2 June 2005 – 8 September 2009)
  • William Saiya Aswenje (23 September 2009 – 20 March 2014)
  • Joel Kitili Mboya (20 March 2014 – 2 September 2015)
  • Stephen Chelimo (5 September 2015 – 7 July 2018)
  • Douglas K. Kanja (8 July 2018- 12 April 2023)

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Kenya – Security Information". Institute for Security Studies. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008.
  2. ↑ "General Service Unit". Kenya Police Service. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. ↑ Sabar p. 181
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The General Service Unit". Kenya Police. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
  5. ↑ Barkan p. 59
  6. 1 2 "Crack troops seek Kenya killers". BBC News. 15 July 2005. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 Provizer p. 343
  8. ↑ CIA World Factbook figures. Retrieved 28 May 2007
  9. ↑ Provizer p. 344
  10. ↑ "The General Service Unit". Kenya Police. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010.

References

  • Barkan, Joel D. Beyond Capitalism Vs. Socialism in Kenya and Tanzania, 1994 ISBN 1-55587-530-0
  • Provizer, Norman W. Analyzing the Third World: Essays from "Comparative Politics", 1978 ISBN 0-87073-943-3
  • Sabar, Galia Church, State and Society in Kenya: from mediation to opposition, 1963–1993, 2002 ISBN 0-7146-5077-3
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