The GSU Recce Company is a special forces unit within Kenya Police’s paramilitary wing of the General Service Unit (GSU). Their headquarters are located in Ruiru where between 500 – 2,000 soldiers are situated; their exact numbers are unknown because of the secretive nature of the General Service Unit.
The main crucial function of the GSU Recce Company is to provide support and reinforcement to the other field companies of the General Service Unit during combat and security operations. The company is also deployed on its own to perform security operations that require the highest level of attention. Due to their elite training and combat experience, the GSU Recce is capable of being deployed in the event of war.
For recruitment into the General Service Unit Recce Company, young Kenyan citizens who are fit and healthy must attend the joint nationwide Kenya National Police Service recruitment exercise after its announcement by the Government. Successful applicants who are enlisted are then sent to the GSU training school in Embakasi for basic training. After the GSU basic training, those who emerge the best in academic and field performance undergo a further seven months specialized training in VIP protection, explosives handling and detonation explosives, security of vital installations, anti-terrorism, sky marshal (the counter terrorism unit on board commercial flights) and rescue operations. Afterward, the GSU officers pass out and are then incorporated into any of the three subunits of the Recce Company depending on their area of specialization.
These are the three key subunits of Recce Squad ;
1. Sky Marshal Unit
An undercover counter-terrorist unit onboard commercial flights to counter aircraft hijackings.
2. Crisis Response Team
Always on standby to swing into action when situations get out of hand.
3. Rendition Operation Team
Trained in Israel and America and is deployed to perform delicate and sensitive security operations
