President William Ruto has confirmed that Kenyan police will join the multinational peacekeeping force in Haiti within the coming days.
During his speech at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Centre on the second day of his state visit to the United States, Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to helping restore normalcy in Haiti.
“The historic event which defines the essential character of Kenya and the United States of America as proud, free and democratic nations, though centuries apart are very identical,” Ruto stated.
An advance team of senior police officers, led by Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Noor Gabow, has already arrived in Haiti.
The Kenyan officers, part of a UN-backed multinational security support mission, landed in Port-au-Prince on Monday evening. Their arrival coincided with the reopening of the city’s airport, which had been closed for nearly three months due to a gang uprising.
Another 200 officers are expected later this week, aligning with President William Ruto’s state visit to the US.
Approximately 1,000 Kenyan agents will join the mission, along with officers from Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria, and Mauritius.
A senior official from Kenya’s interior ministry told the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime that “the first boots [would] hit the ground” soon, emphasizing the seriousness of this deployment.
“This time we are serious,” the official was quoted as saying.
The first Kenyan officers to arrive in Haiti reportedly come from elite paramilitary units, including the recce squad, the rapid deployment force, and members of a police special operation group.
These officers have experience fighting Islamist insurgents on Kenya’s eastern border with Somalia.
“They are no strangers to violent armed actors,” reported the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
