Kenyan police officers dispatched to Haiti to maintain peace are now returning home, a senior Kenyan official, speaking on condition of anonymity has said. He added that the bases for the security agents are still undergoing construction, and it’s deemed untimely for the deployment to proceed.
The official underscored the necessity for critical resources such as vehicles to ensure the effective deployment of the initial 200 Kenyan police officers. Consequently, the commencement of the deployment, originally scheduled for this week, will be postponed by three weeks.
Completion of the official base, where the Kenyan police will be stationed, stands at 70%, with a pressing requirement for secure storage facilities for the armoury.
Upon arrival in Haiti on Tuesday, the officials engaged with the Haitian police on Thursday and held discussions with the transitional presidential council on Friday.
President William Ruto earned a commendation from the U.S. president on Thursday for the initiative to assist in curbing gang violence in Haiti. Biden pledged a contribution of $300 million towards a multinational force, comprising 1,000 Kenyan police officers alongside personnel from Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, and other nations.
Haiti has long grappled with poverty, political instability, and recurrent natural disasters. The nation has a history of unsuccessful international interventions. Notably, in June 2004, a U.N.-sanctioned mission to Haiti was marred by a scandal involving sexual abuse and the outbreak of cholera, resulting in the deaths of nearly 10,000 people. The mission was concluded in October 2017.
