Police officers from the feared General Service Unit (GSU) have been deployed on Nairobi streets following an order by President William Ruto to deal with the rising criminal gangs.

Officers from the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) were also deployed to Northern Kenya counties ravaged by bandit attacks recently following a cabinet approval on Tuesday.

The cabinet, in a dispatch sent to newsrooms on Tuesday afternoon, admitted that parts of the country had in deed experienced a surge in crime, especially in Nairobi City County.


“On the state of National Security, the meeting noted that from an overall perspective, the state of national security is sound, even though parts of the country had over the last week experienced a surge in crime, particularly in Nairobi as characterised by increased muggings and robberies and in the north where perennial banditry and cattle rustling activities continue,” the cabinet dispatch said in part.

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The cabinet approved the deployment of GSU and RDU officers to the crime-prone areas a day after the state announced the reorganization of the Nairobi County Security Command.


“Following the reorganisation of Nairobi County Security command, there is the deployment of additional specialised police units drawn from the General Service Unit and the Rapid Deployment Unit,” added the dispatch.

GSU is a paramilitary wing in the Kenya Police Service which consists of highly trained police officers normally deployed to quell riots or deal with extreme incidences of insecurity.


This also comes days after new Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome announced the appointment of Adamson Bungei as the new Nairobi Area Police Commander.