• Air trasportation of Police and government officials to/from inaccessible areas.
• Transportation of VIPs
• Search and Rescue missions
• Casualty evacuation
• Assistance to victims of natural/human-made disasters
• Anti-terrorism flights
• Aerial reconnaissance (Contact, Night and Visual)
• Assistance to ground forces (Combating cattle rustling, Crime detection and prevention).
• Anti-poaching (assistance to KWS)
• Assistance to civil population
• Distribution of supplies
• Carriage of rations, supplies and security equipments
• Crowd dispersal and traffic control
• Corson, search and aerial photography

Kenya Police Airwing is a formation in the Department of Police. It is commanded by Senior Deputy Commissioner of Police II and operates a fleet of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. It is situated at Wilson Airport, Hangar No.27 in between the Flying Doctors Services to the west and Air Kenya Co. Ltd to the East.

The Kenya Police Airwing started in 1949 as a Colonial Air-support (transport, communication and reconnaissance) Volunteer force operated and manned by White Kenya Police Reservist who were keen to maintain the Colonial Status Quo. During the struggle for independence particularly during the State of Emergency, the Airwing registered its greatest expansion.

The Unit (known as Airwing) was established in 1949 being operated by Reserve Police Pilots offering their own fleet of fixed wing aircraft for police work. The Airwing operations have changed over the years with multiple functions with modern type of aircraft to support the services of the entire Police Department and other public sector. In this endeavor, the formation has found it necessary to acquire different types of aircraft and variously qualified personnel to achieve its mission and functions.

By 1951, the Airwing had only one secondhand aircraft namely ‘AUSTER’ for short range missions. The headquarters was at Wilson Airport, Nairobi the same place it is today and had operational bases at Mweiga in Nyeri and Nakuru. To boost its capability, the Wing started hiring private operators in 1952 shortly after the State of Emergency and bought a tripacer called “PIPER” aircraft ideal for spotter mission. The main function of the unit at this time was to fly recce and spotter missions over Mr. Kenya and Aberdare Forest to seek out Forest’ hideouts and communicate the locations to her Majesty’s ground Forces and the Royal Airforce for strafing and bombing.

In 1952/53, the Airwing acquired the Cessna 180 Model which was more versatile and therefore ideal for air support, patrols and communication. By the end of the Emergency, the Airwing was involved with challenge of reorganizing itself into a peace time role. It engaged fulltime pilots and purchased a fleet of fourteen aircraft of various descriptions, in order to cope with the increased demand for Police Air-coverage.

In January, 1957, the Airwing became an intergral part of the Kenya Police Force in its present form. The unit was headed by a Wing Commander (Military Rank). The first in this rank was A. N. Francombe DSO, OBE (Distinguished Service Order and Member of the British Decorations respectively).

Francombe retired in 1963 and the first Commandant with a Police rank took over: Mr. M. W. Bearcroft. SP (Superintendent of Police). He commanded the Wing for (13) thirteen years after which he retired in the Rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the first Black Kenyan Commandant, Mr. Charles Mathenge Njuki then (SSP) Senior Superintendent of Police took over in 1975. Mr. Mathenge was instrumental in the Africanization of the Airwing during his two decades tenure.

His distinguished service was recognized as he rose to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police before retiring in 1995.