This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
On a mission to protect and serve, Kenya's first all-female Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team has been deployed to Nairobi's streets. The 48-member unit, drawn from the Administration Police Service, graduated in combat training in August from a police training camp in Ngong.
Presided over by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, the graduation marked the end of the first phase of a 15-month training programme. The team underwent intense physical and combat drilling, including handling a variety of weapons and explosives, as well as boxing, wrestling, judo, and karate.
According to Administration Police Service boss Noor Gabow, the team is one of the best in the region and there are plans to expand it. "They will enhance police visibility and sufficiently respond to distress calls from the public while supplementing any existing ground forces," he said.
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai commended the collaboration achieved in training the team. The new unit joins others within the National Police Service that are usually on standby for special operations.
On September 5, 2019, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i expressed his confidence in the new unit's skills, saying, "What we have witnessed today gives us confidence that we have the capacity to protect our people. We can rest assured that we have more officers who can undertake intricate security operations."
