Kenyan police officers in Haiti surge past 600
Kenya has deployed an additional 217 police officers to Haiti, reinforcing the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission aimed at combating gang violence in the carribean nation. This brings Kenya's total deployment to 617 officers, moving closer to the pledged 1,000 personnel.
Kenya has deployed a fresh team of 217 police officers to Haiti, bringing to just over 600 the number of uniformed men from Nairobi deployed in the Caribbean nation as part of a multinational force to tackle gang violence.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the reinforcement drawn from the Rapid Deployment Unit and has a specialized team comprised of medical personnel, mechanics, and communication officers.
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"Kenya is serving as the lead nation in assisting the Haitian National Police to combat criminal gang activities and restore order," a statement from the Ministry of Interior noted.
Under the Multinational Security Support Mission Kenya police officers are collaborating with their counterparts from Haiti to combat crime and violence.
The Ministry highlighted the reopening of schools and colleges on October 2, last year, and the subsequent reopening of courts on October 7, 2024 as notable achievements in Haiti's journey towards stability.
On Saturday, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen said that the police officers left Kenya on Friday. "The Kenya-led mission has made tremendous progress in reducing gang violence, earning praise across the globe," Murkomen said on X (formerly twitter), sharing a photo of himself with some of the officers aboard a plane.
Kenya's "commitment to this historic mission is unwavering," he added.
In June 2024, Kenya sent the first troops to the troubled Caribbean nation. Since then, President William Ruto has pledged to deploy 1,000 troops as part of the United Nations-backed force in Haiti.
Media reports show that gang violence has left over 700,000 Haitians homeless in recent years, with many crowding into makeshift and unsanitary shelters after gunmen razed their homes.
Over 5,600 people reportedly lost their lives across Haiti last year as per statistics from the United Nations Human Rights office, reflecing more than 20 percent increase in he number of killings compared with all of 2023. In addition, over 2,200 people were reported injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped in Haiti, UN data shows.
