PATROL TEAM RESURFACES:

 

It was police work, ok , but we in WPD; (wildlife protection unit ) don't deal with CSR projects , that is for our sister department , the Community Wildlife Service . Ours is security of wildlife and protection of all our stakeholders , and we were just too good in its execution in that every Kenyan who cared to accept knew our capabilities, and in return we got all the information we requested from the local communities and more.

There were two things we came to believe due to our daily encounters with the bad guys, and every ranger will agree with me ; (1) that when an elephant is killed and it falls on its front legs, like he is not on its side but died trying to get up, and (2) when we get to a scene and establish that a victim was abused , like one was defiled, or say raped, then we know that we will succeed and pursuit is eminent and executed with maximum speed. I have always known that , that must have been the most driving factor which made one of my most experienced officer and NCO rush in to a lead without proper preparations. Remember they were scrambled out of camp simply because all other strapped up units were not in the vicinity . They had dry ration for only two days, and they had to borrow a mobile hand set from the second group who reached them late. They also got two rangers on attachment from the same unit to boost their number to six rangers , the corporal and the officer.

The Rangers knew  that they were now more than 12 hours late , for the bandits must have started out before 1800 the previous evening, so they needed to be swift and therefore all heavy gear was shed, and boots were exchanged for speed. They all knew that they were chasing five people whom were all assumed armed and dangerous , but the trail they left behind was huge and would have been visible from the air. 

They had looted three vehicles that single day, and had to reach their hide out before sorting things out. So they were slow. The first day was uneventful. but the Rangers reported where the bandits stopped to cook tea and some of the un wanted ware drooped off. The Rangers reported their position in the evening and then went in to defensive positions for the night.
The team failed to report the next morning, and by mid day, I had to move  to Isiolo Samburu Complex Station in Archers Post to be close to action. That evening , with the service of one of our huskys and a super cub from Lewa Downs, we flew a total of seven hours between the two planes trying to locate my men but we completely failed to see them or the bandits for that matter. I had informed Nairobi of the on going operation , but I could not tell them that the men did not have food and that their radio must have gone off. You don't tel Langata of your misgivings, not even when you were not involved in planning, no, you will get the pink charge sheet for incompetence and might loose a weeks pay for your troubles. So I kept my cool, but I prayed and I cursed, and I failed to sleep.

Another plane was scrambled out of one of the sister ranches and we flew, from Sabashi hill. We did straight lines ,transecting all that God forsaken lands to Koom, Kauro, Sereolipi and Losesia. We landed to refuel and drew more strategies , then flew some more, but we failed to locate the team.

 By mid day the third day, the other two planes withdrew for other duties, while i and my pilot friend sweated our butts off, scratched our scalps and eventually decided to go give the un thinkable ; to report the lose of a patrol team, officer included. We both knew what it spelled to us , but we also knew that we had to call in reinforcement and that search and rescue was eminent . 

The pilot executed a turn towards our fate and then we both sported smoke and shouted at the same time. Without talking, we flew low, actually very low, for at times I thought we were going to hit the taller trees, but I could not complain for my mind was doing other things. We flew straight in to the smoke and there , we saw them, and they were alive , and they were waving. But they were not alone, for I saw three men in police uniformed carrying white jericans , and our men were scrambling to drink from this jericans . We circled them then dropped them the radios and some food stuffs and that is when they gave us their tale, and this they did,  I listened and I laughed because I was sure that I was not going to face a court Marshall  for the disappearance of the patrol team, not just yet. 

I give you their story tommorow. — feeling excited.