General Service Unit ( Kenya ) The General Service Unit ( GSU ) is a paramilitary wing of the Kenyan Military and Kenyan Police , consisting of highly trained police officers and special forces soldiers , transported by seven dedicated Cessnas and three Bell helicopters Having been in existence since the late 1940s , the GSU has fought in a number of conflicts in and around Kenya , including the 1963 – 1969 Shifta War and the 1982 Kenyan coup . The Kenyan police outlines the objectives of the GSU as follows , to deal with situations affecting internal security throughout the Republic , to be an operational force that is not intended for use on duties of a permanent static nature , and primarily , to be a reserve force to deal with special operations and civil disorders . History . Initially created as the Emergency Company or Regular Police Reserve in 1948 , the GSU began as a unit of 50 men armed with Bren guns carriers and armoured cars and was involved in a number of uprisings including the Mau Mau Uprising before being renamed the General Service Unit in September 1953 . The newly designated GSU consisted of 47 European officers and 1058 Africans divided into 5 regional companies each consisting of a number of 39 - man platoons . In 1957 further reorganisations took place and the GSU was brought under one commander , a Mr . S . G . Thomson . In 1961 the unit left Kenya for the first time to deal with civil unrest in Zanzibar , and then from 1963 until 1969 the GSU fought the secessionists during the Shifta War . During the 1990s the GSU worked in central Kenya to quell socialist political unrest and demonstrations against the Kenyan government , such as the Saba Saba Day ( 7 July ) celebrations of 1990 , where 30 people were killed as the police and General Service Units took action . More recently , in July 2005 , troops of the GSU were sent to northern Kenya to seek out those responsible for the deaths of 76 people , 22 of them children , at a school in the area . The GSU helped prevent further friction between feuding Gabra and Borana communities when they were transported to the region by two police and two military helicopters , as well as two ministers from the Kenyan government . Currently , the GSU has around 5 , 000 paramilitary troops , of which 2000 are the Israeli trained and battle hardened ' Recee group ' . It is regulated under chapter nine of the Kenya Police Force Standing Orders . Personnel . Originally , GSU members were drawn from the existing ranks of the Kenyan Police force , were from a number of ethnic backgrounds , and were trained in the Kenya Police College and placed on a two - year tour of duty . However with the increase of Africanisation in 1963 , the majority of members were by 1967 from native Kenyan tribes such as the Luo or the Kikuyu who total 5 . 9 million , equal to about 13 % and 7 . 4 million , equal to about 22 % of Kenya ' s total population , respectively Most recently , all GSU members have been trained at the GSU - specific Training School in Embakasi and its Field Training Camp in Magadi , on 10 - month long courses , with further 5 - month long courses required for promotion . As with various branches of the Kenyan armed forces , the GSU also sends its officers to Great Britain to be trained in such facilities as the Britannia Royal Naval College and Sandhurst . Organisational Structure . The GSU is organised in companies each under a company commander . Four of these companies have commanding officers and they are regarded as the ' big four ' These are The other companies are listed in alphabetical order starting from ' A ' company to ' Q ' company . There is no ' o ' company . Each company consists of three platoons and the company headquarters personnel . Originally a platoon consisted of 30 personnel but nowadays a platoon can have as many as 60 members . References . Printed Sources : Websites :