If you’re a woman, you might be curious about what it takes to earn recognition in any field. Kenya is a democratic country that has long upheld the rule of gender equality.

As a result, women have the freedom to work in any field they choose. In the military, former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i took a big step in 2019 by commissioning Kenya’s first all-female Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.

SWAT is a generic term for a law enforcement unit equipped with specialized/military equipment and tactics. This was the first of its kind to grace the sub-Saharan region of Africa.

At first, there were a total of 48 commando officers who were drawn from the Administration Police Service

These female officers underwent five months of intense combat training in Ngong, the first phase of their 15-month program. They graduated in a ceremony officiated by Matiang’i.

“Today gives us confidence as the government that we can protect our people and secure our country. Now we can rest assured that we have more officers who can undertake intricate security operations that require specialized approaches,” he said.

Their training included Israeli Krav Maga, a military self-defence system that combines strikes, grappling, and weapons to handle multiple types of attacks.

The training regimen also included advanced techniques in handling various weapons and managing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The female officers were trained to scale multi-storey buildings, rescue hostages, engage in unarmed combat, and conduct jungle operations.

Former Police IG Hillary Mutyambai expressed his office’s commitment to increasing the number of women in the SWAT team in future intakes. The team was reportedly deployed in Nairobi’s CBD to patrol and enhance security around key government installations.

Joining requirements, roles of GSU Recce Squad vs Kenya Defence Forces

The team was split into different groups consisting of at least 6 members. Some patrolled the CBD on foot, others used government-issued vehicles, and a few were on 4-wheel motorcycles.

The all-female SWAT team is part of a group of specialized units within the National Police Service, which also includes the Special Crimes Prevention Unit (SCPU), Flying Squad, Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), and GSU Recce Squad.

“The new team can handle any situation a male officer with similar training can,” said the former police boss.

The all-female SWAT team has previously conducted training with US military officers. Most recently, on March 15th, 2024, they trained alongside the United States Operations Command Africa (US SOCAF) in Nairobi.

According to their website, SOCAF’s mission is to deter and defeat transnational threats, counter violent extremism, strengthen the defence capabilities of African states and regional organizations, and protect U.S. interests in Africa.

In their training session with SOCAF, the soldiers were taught the MARCH sequence which entails Massive Haemorrhaging, Airway, Respiratory Circulation and Hypothermia.

“The training is beneficial to the Kenyan police force because as we all know medical training is perishable and if you don’t train on it annually, you don’t stay sharp on those skills,” US Army Captain, Civil Affairs Team Commander Chad Libby spoke.

“It’s important to empower women within the security forces because they help shape the community as a whole. Having them provide security in a male-dominated profession gives young girls the ability to look up and aspire to something greater.”