Waziri Mayai Wa Maradhi
Senior Member
- Jan 28, 2026
- 194
- 63
It was during the Madaraka Day celebrations that I first truly noticed a unit I had never paid close attention to before — the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS). Smartly dressed and moving with calm precision during the parade, they stood out quietly among the more familiar formations of Kenya’s security forces.
The moment almost slipped past me. Like many viewers, I had initially thought I had already seen the highlights of the national celebrations and nearly moved on. But something made me rewind the broadcast — a habit I reserve for the parade segment, where disciplined marching formations always draw my attention. It is a spectacle that carries a certain nostalgia, a reminder of childhood ambitions that once felt very real.
Back in primary school in Molo, those ambitions had taken shape in the most innocent of ways. I once contested for a Scouts leadership position with the confidence only a young student can possess, only to suffer a memorable defeat that ended my “military career” before it even began. Watching the Coast Guard officers during Madaraka Day brought a different realization — that Kenya’s security landscape is broader and more diverse than many of us often recognize, stretching beyond the familiar uniforms to specialized units quietly protecting the country in different environments.
The moment almost slipped past me. Like many viewers, I had initially thought I had already seen the highlights of the national celebrations and nearly moved on. But something made me rewind the broadcast — a habit I reserve for the parade segment, where disciplined marching formations always draw my attention. It is a spectacle that carries a certain nostalgia, a reminder of childhood ambitions that once felt very real.
Back in primary school in Molo, those ambitions had taken shape in the most innocent of ways. I once contested for a Scouts leadership position with the confidence only a young student can possess, only to suffer a memorable defeat that ended my “military career” before it even began. Watching the Coast Guard officers during Madaraka Day brought a different realization — that Kenya’s security landscape is broader and more diverse than many of us often recognize, stretching beyond the familiar uniforms to specialized units quietly protecting the country in different environments.
