Today, the Administration Police Service (APS), established under Article 243 of the Constitution of Kenya, celebrated a worthy milestone as over 3,000 graduating recruits took their oath of service at the 59th APS Pass-Out Parade held at the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus, Nairobi. The ceremony was presided over by His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto, C.G.H., President and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces of Kenya, who commended the recruits for their commitment to serving the nation.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Director General, Prof. Erustus Kanga joined national leaders, fellow Service Commanders, officers, and families to witness this momentous occasion. The parade was both a display of discipline and precision as well as a powerful reminder that Kenya’s security forces stand united in their duty to protect the nation—its people, its borders, and its natural heritage.
The APS plays a critical role in maintaining law and order, preserving peace, securing Kenya’s borders, and protecting strategic government installations and infrastructure. Withal, their work extends beyond cities and border posts. In Kenya’s vast protected areas, from the forests of Aberdare to the plains of Tsavo, the Administration Police Service works side by side with KWS to combat poaching, intercept illegal wildlife trade, and respond to human-wildlife conflict.
KWS collaborates closely with the APS, which operates under the broader National Police Service, in advancing wildlife law enforcement and strengthening security in and around protected areas. This partnership is essential for protecting Kenya’s wildlife, ensuring that the country’s natural heritage is safeguarded for future generations.
The recruits graduating today will soon be deployed across the country, and their presence will be felt in some of Kenya’s most remote and challenging conservation landscapes. More boots in the field mean stronger partnerships, enhanced law enforcement, and greater capacity to protect Kenya’s wildlife, people, and natural heritage. Every new officer deployed to a protected area is another pair of eyes watching for poachers, another voice responding to emergencies, and another hand reaching out to communities to foster coexistence.
This collaboration aligns with the KWS Strategic Plan 2024–2028, which prioritises enhancing community and stakeholder participation, building resilient ecosystems, and expanding Kenya’s wildlife economy. By working with the APS and other security agencies, KWS is strengthening the foundation of conservation law enforcement, ensuring that wildlife crime is met with swift and decisive action.
The law of averages savers that with more boots on the ground, the fight against wildlife crime will grow stronger. Today, that prediction is becoming a reality. Like the bang of a judge’s gavel, each arrest and prosecution sends a clear message that Kenya will not tolerate the destruction of its natural heritage, demonstrated by the partnership between KWS and the APS, which has grown into a formidable force for conservation.
As the recruits marched past the saluting dais, their steps measured and their heads held high, they carried with them the hopes of a nation. They are the new guardians of Kenya’s peace, and for KWS, they are also the new guardians of Kenya’s wild places. The wild is not a fenced-in entity. Rather, it is a living, breathing part of the country’s identity, deserving of the same protection as its cities and borders.
The partnership between KWS and the APS is a testament to what can be achieved when institutions work together. It is a reminder that conservation is not the work of one agency alone—it is a shared responsibility that requires the commitment of all.
To support KWS conservation efforts and help strengthen wildlife law enforcement, please visit https://kwspay.ecitizen.go.ke/donate.