New Haiti Prime Minister Requests Additional Kenyan Police Officers for MSS Mission » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 – New Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille has requested the deployment of a second batch of Kenyan police officers to support the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.
The request comes two weeks after Kenya sent the initial 400 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation.
Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome announced in a statement to newsrooms that Conille made the request during a security briefing to the United Nations Security Council earlier this week.
“While officially welcoming the Kenyan team at their base camp, the Prime Minister of Haiti expressed unwavering support for the MSS. During the security brief to the UN Security Council this week, the Prime Minister called for the deployment of additional Kenyan police officers in Haiti, expressing his optimism that the MSS team will control the gangs,” Koome stated.
Kenya initially deployed 200 police officers on June 24 as part of the 400-member contingent that completed pre-deployment training. Koome further explained that the Kenyan police officers had embarked on joint operational, logistical, and induction training with their Haitian National Police counterparts.
Kenya is expected to be joined by at least six other countries in the MSS mission, which was approved by the United Nations in October 2023. However, the mission has faced delays as UN member nations have been slow to contribute the necessary funds.
Maria Isabel Salvador, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, has called upon the international community to make their financial contributions to the mission. According to the United Nations Security Council, less than 3 billion shillings has been raised through the UN Trust Fund against a target of 12 billion shillings.
President Ruto has emphasized that stabilizing the troubled Caribbean nation is “a mission for humanity … a mission for solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Haiti.”
In addition to Kenya, other nations including Benin, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad have pledged to join the mission.
While some Kenyans support the mission in Haiti, others question why their country is leading the multinational force, especially when more powerful and better-equipped nations have not stepped forward.
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