Approximately 200 Kenyan police officers are set to be deployed to Haiti next week as part of a United Nations Security Council-backed security mission to Port-au-Prince.
The decision to send Kenyan forces to Haiti stems from Kenya’s voluntary commitment in July 2023 to lead the mission and deploy 1,000 troops to restore order in the troubled Caribbean nation, which has been overrun by criminal gangs.
According to reports from the Nation newspaper, the officers selected for deployment come from elite units such as the Recce squad, Rapid Deployment Force, and Special Operation Group.
They are scheduled to arrive in Port-au-Prince around May 23 or 24, aligning with President William Ruto’s official visit to the United States.
The United States government has pledged $100 million (Ksh.13 billion) to support the mission in Haiti and has called on other nations to contribute similarly.
Half of the Kenyan platoon will be responsible for securing critical infrastructure in Port-au-Prince, operating from a barracks recently established by the US government. The remaining officers will engage in close-quarter combat with criminal gangs.
In March, President Ruto announced the signing of an agreement between Kenya and Haiti to facilitate Kenya’s involvement in the multinational security mission.
This agreement, witnessed by Ruto and then Prime Minister Henri, marked a significant step towards deploying Kenyan troops to Port-au-Prince.
In April, Kenya welcomed the swearing-in of the Haiti Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), tasked with re-establishing key government organs critical to restoring law and order in Port-au-Prince.
Michel Patrick Boisvert, former finance minister under Henry’s administration, will serve as interim prime minister until the transition council selects new leadership, forms a cabinet, and establishes a provisional electoral council for the country’s upcoming 2026 elections.
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