By Samuel Ouma
The fight against terrorism in Kenya received a massive boost on Tuesday after the German government donated eighteen motorcycles to the Directorate Criminal of Investigations (DCI) Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATU).
DCI boss George Kinoti received the motorcycles from the German Ambassador to Kenya Annett Guenther.
Out of the eighteen, four are the latest German multinational corporation BMW model, while the rest are Kibo K150. The motorcycles are worth ksh14.5 million ($145,000).
Kinoti said the motorcycles would be deployed in Kenya's hotspot areas, including the Northeastern and coastal regions. He stated that they would improve the ATPU’s response to security threats.
“We can now respond in the most efficient manner as per the global standards to any security incident within Nairobi,” said Mr. Kinoti.
The DCI boss added that the country would continue to acquire the best fighting tools due to the changing trends of crime and terrorism.
On her side, Ambassador Gunther said there is a need to invest in security given the emergence of cross-border crime.
“While increased globalisation allows increased flow of goods, it also allows criminals to move from one country to the other,” she noted.
In January this year, Kenya also received an assortment of forensic investigations equipment from the Federal Republic of Germany worth ksh27 million ($270,000).
The equipment included specialized crime investigation kits and dozens of video & photographic cameras with accessories.