DCI, US launch bomb technician course to counter explosive threats

The seven-week Explosive Incident Countermeasures Course, launched on Monday at the Border Police College in Kanyonyo, has brought together officers drawn from the Bomb Disposal Unit and the Administration Police Special Operations Group (SOG).

In a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Personnel Rosemary Kuraru, DCI boss Mohamed Amin said the evolving global threat posed by explosive devices demanded sustained investment in specialised training and operational readiness.

"The expertise acquired could one day save innocent lives, protect fellow officers and safeguard the nation from devastating attacks," Kuraru told the participants, challenging them to embrace the training with discipline, humility and determination.

Amin also thanked the United States government, through the Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) Programme, for sponsoring the training, describing it as part of an enduring partnership that continues to boost Kenya's counter-terrorism capabilities.

During the course, the officers will be taken through the fundamentals of explosives, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), military ordnance, render-safe procedures, and the transportation and storage of explosives, among other operational competencies.

Those who complete the programme successfully will qualify as Basic Bomb Technicians.

The launch was attended by representatives of the US government, including officials from the Department of State and the Regional Security Office, alongside Border Patrol Unit Commandant Davis Lomwatu, Border Police Training College Commandant Kiplangat Chirchir, Deputy Border Patrol Unit Commandant Edward Achola and Head of the DCI Bomb Disposal Unit Tom Wafula.