Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday said plans were underway to for the National Police Service (NPS) to acquire at least three gunship helicopters and surveillance drones.
Kindiki said the helicopters acquisitions were part of a plan by the police to enhance its operational capabilities and end dependency on Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
He proposed to revive the Police Airwing which he said is “completely dead” in three months’ time as part of the efforts to improve the capacity of police to tackle crime in the country.
Kindiki explained that the government will spend Sh20 billion to modernize police equipment in the next three years.
“Going forward increasingly we are going to yield the benefits of technology driven, intelligence driven operations,” he said.
In 2020, during the reign of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Kenya Air Force took over the management of government-owned aircrafts under centralized command in what was termed as a move to enhance efficiency.
National Air Support Department
Kenyatta’s maneuver placed Kenya Police, the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Power, Kenya Pipeline, and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited aircrafts and those owned by state agencies, under the management of the KDF.
The choppers became part of the National Air Support Department (NASD), a multi-agency unit falling under the Ministry of Defence.
The NASD accumulated a fleet of 36 aircraft incorporating the National Police Air Wing, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO), and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), among others.
During its inauguration on December 17, 2020, President Kenyatta promised efficiency in the delivery of aviation services.
“This reform initiative was necessitated by the compelling need to foster effectiveness in the management of the national aviation assets; with a view to optimizing safety, efficiency, and improved availability of aircraft,” Kenyatta said at the time.
He regretted that, in the past, lack of proper maintenance of aviation equipment within the national civilian air fleet had brought tragedies to the nation, claiming lives of citizens including those of prominent leaders.
