Because of the secretive nature of the GSU, the exact number of officers in the Recce company is unknown but they could be anywhere between 500 – 2000.

The GSU Recce Company is made up of elite soldiers who are are highly trained in Kenya and abroad in highly regarded military training facilities in countries such as United Kingdom, America and Israel.

The Recce company is a specially trained unit of commandos which easily compare with the British SAS, America’s Delta Force, France’s EPIGN and the Israel’s Sayaret Matkal. The main crucial function of Recce Unit is to provide support to the other field companies of the General Service Unit.

Apart from reinforcing the other companies of the GSU, it is also sent to perform security operations that require the highest level of attention. This hardened battle force is also capable of being deployed in the event of war. GSU Recce Company has three key units. The first one is the Sky Marshal unit, an undercover counter terrorist unit on board commercial flights to counter aircraft hijackings.

The second one is the Crisis Response Team which is always on stand-by to swing into action when things threaten to get out of hand and the third unit is the Rendition Operation team mostly trained in Israel and America. Those selected to enlist at the GSU training school in Embakasi for basic training undergo competitive and rigorous processes.

After the basic training, those who excel in academic and field performance undergo a further seven -month specialised training in VIP protection, handling and detonating explosives, security of vital installations, anti-terrorism, sky marshal (the counter terrorism unit on board commercial flights) and rescue operations.

After training, the officers pass out and are deployed to any of the three key units of the Recce Company depending on their area of specialisation. Elite squads of the GSU have taken part in top-notch hostage rescue operations and earned accolades the world over.

- People Daily