Tana River: GSU officers rescued from submerged camp

According to the NPS, the rescue operation took place on Saturday, December 2, after the Kenya Coast Guard Service deployed personnel for the mass evacuation of the officers who were stranded until the Coast Guard's intervention.

“National Police Service Officers from Wema GSU Camp in Tana Delta Sub County were successfully evacuated on Dec 2, 2023 with assistance from Kenya Coast Guard Services' boats after their camp was totally submerged by the ongoing flood situation which has greatly affected the Coastal Region,” stated the commission.

The Kenya Coast Guards were summoned to help the officers who had attempted to navigate the flooded waters on Saturday evening but could not make it to higher ground. 

“The GSU Officers had navigated the rising waters yesterday evening to a higher ground. The National Police Service commends the GSU Officers, and indeed, all NPS Officers wherever they are serving our Country, for their true reflection of resilience and great urge of serving to our nation,” said the NPS.

The rescue team also managed to salvage firearms, among other police essentials.

The rescue operation comes in the backdrop of a nationwide crisis, after Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura confirmed a rising death toll of 142 and added Turkana County to the list of high-alert counties due to heavy rains, on Friday, December 1.

Over 472,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing floods nationwide.