Senior security officers who traveled to Haiti ahead of the planned deployment of Kenyan forces have reportedly returned to Kenya.
The officers arrived in Haiti on Tuesday, May 21, and were received by officers from Haiti’s national police, where they later met the presidential transitional committee.
The officers are returning to Kenya after the planned deployment of about 200 police, which was supposed to happen this week, was delayed due to logistical constraints.
The advance team, including Noor Gabow, the deputy inspector general of the Administration Police Service, held several meetings with other officials, including those from the United Nations Integrated Office in Port-au-Prince, and conducted inspections. They advised that a few issues be sorted out on the ground first.
Kenya, which is leading the 2,500-member security force, has agreed with the Haitian government on rules of engagement for the security personnel, who could face fierce opposition from the well-armed Haitian gangs that have taken over the country’s capital and overwhelmed local police.
However, the agreement has not been committed to writing or submitted to the United Nations Security Council, a prerequisite for the multinational security mission to begin.
The Kenyan team found that Haiti lacks the equipment to accommodate the deployment of the police officers. One of the officers in the advance team revealed that the venues where the officers would reside were 70 percent complete.
Haiti also lacks armored vehicles to move foreign officers around and has a deficit of radios and communications equipment.
Additionally, the mission still needs to procure choppers to evacuate potential casualties from Haiti, where dozens of hospitals have been destroyed or looted since February 29, when gangs united to topple the government.
Speaking to BBC, President Ruto noted the deployment had been postponed to allow adequate time for preparation but affirmed his commitment to stabilizing the war-torn nation.
“Once we have that assessment that we agreed with the Haitian police and the Haitian leadership, we are looking at the horizon of between three weeks and there about for us to be ready to deploy, once everything on the ground is set,” Ruto explained.
The Kenyan police force is now expected to be in Haiti by mid-June, according to President Ruto.
