Tactical Training and Operations ( Kenya General Service Unit)

GSU TRAINING SCHOOL EMBAKASI BASIC TRAINING DURATION 9 MONTHS Trainees experience… Life in GSU Training school was one that I will never forget. There are so many details, but i will summarize and capture what i can remember well….. After reporting to the training school, the first two weeks were marked with what the instructors called ‘kutoa Uraia’, to literally mean removing the ‘civilian mindset’ and inserting ‘an officer mindset’ into the selected men. We were taught how to basically do everything like a cop. From making our beds, cleaning our barracks, scrubbing pavements, walking, shaving our hair, maintaining strict conditions of hygiene plus another whole lot of things that we were to do like cops and not as ‘civilians’. Here, I met what I can readily call hell on earth. All manner of abusive language existed here. Instructors would practically call you anything, including references to your mother without caring. An instructor would be a pastor on Sunday and be someone very different when you met at the drill square or in the barracks. We would later be organised into squads. A normal day would start at around four in the morning, where we would be woken up, get into our tracksuits ready for a road run. In song and dance, we would run in darkness several kilometres to and from a distance that the squad in charge felt that was the best. We would then get back to the training school some minutes to six, go to the armory, pick our rifles, have our breakfast, get into our well ironed uniforms and boots, and then proceed for inspection. At the inspection stage, the instructors were merciless and required only the highest standards. Those who had attained the desired grooming standards would head to the drills square and start the drills session where we were trained on how to match in formation. This area was dominated by instructors who were not jokers, and anyone who missed a step during the matching found the going rough. After drill, we would head to classes where we were taught signals, police practical theory, skills at arms, combat tactics amongst other courses, and physical training at the gym, which included martial arts. Part of the recruits would be at the gym while others were attending different lessons. At the gym, things were tough, and at times, one wished the ground would open wide and swallow him or her. Training involved taking compulsory Tae kwondo, Other forms of training such as log exercises and even obstacle crossing were no jokes. Looking for extra stamina was the main challenge. Failure to complete any allocated tasks attracted a merciless reaction as we had brutal instructors who never gave laxity a chance. After lunch, we would match the respective venues for afternoon training that would end some minutes to supper time. After supper, we we would begin cleaning the barracks among other chores that were to be attended to by us. This would end at around 2045 Hrs, which marked the beginning of time to take care of our personal hygiene ready for inspection come the following morning. In some instances, instructors could sneak into the barrack unnoticed, which was a crime as we were expected to shout ‘UP’ in case one was spotted and bring recruits to attention. Failure to notice them attracted all manner of harassment at times, this would mean that we stayed up all night where one could have ended to having not slept, not even for a single minute. After 9 months of basic training at GSU Training School, it was time to leave for another 9 months of brutal specialised paramilitary training at Magadi Field Training School. MAGADI FIELD CRAFT TRAINING SCHOOL FIELD COMBAT TACTICS TRAINING Course Duration 9 Months We arrived safely at Magadi GSU field tactics training Camp, a ground of our own choice as commonly referred to by the instructors. A place of scorching sun, rocky uneven terrain, and where the ground surface is full of prickly thorns and shrubs. This was to be a home for us for some 9 months to come, but from the look of everything, it was not a friendly place to be in. TRAINING A normal day would start with us leaving the camp very early in the morning for a road run. This was a challenge as some recruits could ‘sleep run’ and even ‘crush land’ while half asleep and get hurt. This was not a reason to stay away from training as there was a famous saying over there.’Kazi na dawa’( work + medicine). Training was a must, even if it meant being taken to classes on a wheel chair. After the road run, we would next head for our breakfast, later we would get into our combat uniforms in readiness for inspection and then start the day’s training which was the beginning of a sweat filled day. We would take our parade drills commonly known as master parade while in a thick jungle green shirt, a smoke jacket, and a sisal made sack on top of these for camouflage and concealment. The sun was scorching every other day, but one could not put down any of these until we were done with that day’s training. One could sweat, stink, and even get very uncomfortable, but soldiers are known to be ‘hard” men and women, we endured. Field craft theory lessons would follow, and classes were done while we were seated on hot rocks and under the burning sun. These lessons were usually done in squads of about 15 trainees. Despite the hot sun rays, we could still afford to take a quick nap, but wait a minute, if one was caught napping, he/she would curse the day they were born. One could be beaten and forced to go up a steep hill with a 20 litre jerrycan full of water or a basin full of water without a drop spilling down while also carrying your G3 rifle, find your way while running to the top of the hill, fire several blanks and then start coming down. No one could dare be caught napping again. We would later go for practical lessons in the afternoon where the sun was simply unbearable, but as soldiers, we were kept alive by the saying ‘train hard fight easy’. Instructors including one referred to as warload would force us through all manner of crazy exercises in the name of hardening and punishment he along with his colleagues were a no nonsense lot in the area of field craft, weaponry and tactics lessons. Among the team was a ruthless lady instructor who used to deal with lady recruits mercilessly. They never gave us a break. Some recruits fainted, others got injured, broke their legs and hands but this did not mean an end to the training it was interpreted to mean that we were still ‘softies’ that needed more ‘hardening’ hence the training got tougher and was executed in a more ruthless manner. Training would end some minutes to six after which we would proceed for supper in readiness for evening cleaning and mock attack drills called ‘Stand two’ lessons where we were to be gauged on the response levels in case the camp was attacked. Lights could go off, and in less than five minutes, one was expected to be in full uniform and to have rushed to respective and designated areas in readiness to defend the camp from attack. Anyone caught unawares and napping would earn himself or herself a thorough beating and punishment, and to avoid this, most of us were always on toes and ready for the worst. A night did not mean time to sleep, but it was time to rest, awaiting any outcome, including the following day’s training schedule. On most days, the training program would alternate. Hence, when not doing field craft and tactical drills or weapononry, we were at the shooting range learning about sharp shooting. Life here was no walk in the park, and this was one of the most demanding places in the whole training program. One day as we were being taught on how to fire and operate various types of assault rifles, I was practically unable to get off enough rounds using an AK47 rifle onto the target which saw me being brutally beaten I learned a lesson! Our faces got swollen due to the blowback effect from continuous firing of guns, but this was no excuse to evade training. We kept doing it over and over in that state of pain and agony. After all, we were told that we refused to listen to our mothers, and here we had been left to learn from the world (represented by the merciless instructors). The field training at Magadi leaned on military tactics and how to use mortars, bombs, grenades, machine guns, and other weaponry. Night operations and close quarters combat were among other lessons that were in our curriculum. One gentle man from my village, known as Martin, who was heavily built, almost ended up deserting. He confided in me that he was done with the harassment and tough workload and was ready to try something else outside life in the Police Service. I just told him to look at himself, then look at me and compare his body mass and mine and then let the weakest leave first and I told him that I would never give up despite the training taking its toll on me. I also advised him to take every day at a time and forget whatever took place yesterday and face the new day with much optimism and courage. This was my motto, and I am glad it worked for him and me too. This training was not for the faint-hearted and required one not to accumulate anger or keep a grudge as this would simply lead to us losing the battle. Am glad that he changed and became more positive. Another very notable case was that of a recruit who threatened to use his connections to leak information to the Human Rights Commission on the ‘torture’ that we were going through and …. unlucky him, he got the beating of a lifetime from the instructors, which cowed us to a point that no one could dare speak out irrespective of how things got tough. This was a manifestation of how things were over there. Fortunately, after ten very stressful months of non-stop training, we cleared our course at the field tactics camp and left Magadi for Embakasi for the final bit of tactical training. During this period, I must say we found changed and many friendlier instructors, who could now shockingly allow us to sit down and even reason out issues over a drink with them. Soon after the last bit of the training, we graduated. Following the pass out we were deployed to various GSU company’s, some to the field in volatile areas and some to dangerous isolated border regions, some to the GSU headquarters company which is always on standby for any eventuality. Others identified as the best among our batch proceeded for 7 months of an elite Israeli designed commando course at the specialised training school in Ruiru after which they were absorbed into commando units of the crack Reconnaissance (Recce) Company.