Many presidential motorcades consist of a fleet of vehicles. The exact formation changes depending on the mission and assets at hand.
It comprises an elite team of people who are highly trained in war and combat. Whenever the president is visiting, the team does not only clear traffic but also offers protection. They also dictate how fast or slow the motorcade will move.
For President Uhuru Kenyatta, his escort is a multi-agency team made up of personnel from different security arms including the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), General Service Unite (GSU), RECCE Company and the presidential escort.
The following is a detailed formation of the presidential escort unit.
RECCE 1
This team is headed by the local traffic base commander and they lead the way three minutes ahead of the main motorcade.
The RECCE 1 plays crucial roles like clearing the road, observing various check points as they control the road before the presidential motorcade arrives.
RECCE 2
These are the vehicles that are found immediately surrounding the presidential vehicle.
The RECCE 2 car is also referred to as the command car with the presidential head commander plus others who are close to the presidential protection team.
The car is easily identified as it has a number plate written Presidential Escort and the number of cars depends on the situation at hand.
President’s Vehicle
This is the car which carries the Head of State. In most cases, President Kenyatta rides in a Toyota Land Cruiser V8, Mercedes Benz S class, or Mercedes Limousine depending on the occasion.
Where the president does not have visible RECCE officer; the men in uniform who surround the president's vehicle, their vehicles which are mostly Land Cruisers, come at the end of the convoy.
In the presence of any VIP accompanying the president, the VIP vehicle comes after the presidential motorcade.
Speaking to kenyans.co.ke security expert George Musamali, detailed further how the presidential motorcade works.
“The number of vehicles in the presidential team depends on the situation. Normally before the president moves there is a risk and threat analysis. Based on that report, this when you will determine what number of vehicles to use,” Musamali highlighted.
“At some point you might find the president has only three vehicles based on the risk assessment but the vehicle that you will never miss in the presidential motorcade is the RECCE 1 vehicle,” he added.
“For the motorcycles, they are just ceremonial, that is why you will only see them when the president is going for example, at a national day celebration event.’”
