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Kenyan police added 30 armored personnel carriers (APCs) to be used in areas hit by terrorism.
To protect and equip police officers, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta authorized the deployment of the APCs to the northeastern and coastal regions where police are fighting al-Shabaab militants crossing into the country.
The president has said he expects police to work without the help of the military and other security sectors.
Analyst Yan St. Pierre, who runs the Berlin-based security company MOSECON, said Kenya has realized it is fighting a war inside its territory, and all security sectors need to be equipped to counter the threat.
“It is a good sign the government is willing to invest more resources into other security outlets,” he said.
Kenya’s Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka said officers were trained in how to use the APCs before they were delivered.
“These are new challenges we have not had before, but the more you get a new challenge the more you deal with it,” he said. “When a new challenge comes, at first you do not react the way you should; you learn from it and ensure that next time you face similar problems you are ready and prepared.”
Njoka said paramilitary police units, not regular police, would use the carriers. Al-Shabaab has targeted security officers and civilians in Kenya.
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