Kenya’s pioneering police mission in Haiti is drawing to a close, with the final contingent of roughly 400 officers due to fly home next week after a turbulent year battling the gangs that have brought the Caribbean nation to its knees.
The 800-strong Kenyan force, drawn from elite units including the General Service Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit and Anti-Stock Theft Unit, arrived in June 2024 as the spearhead of the UN-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.
Under commander Geoffrey Otunge they conducted joint patrols with the Haitian National Police, secured hospitals and ports, and trained local officers in a country where armed groups control 85% of the capital.
A fresh rotation of 170 Kenyan personnel will depart Nairobi this weekend to cover the handover and ensure no security vacuum is exploited by gangs.
Officers already in Port-au-Prince were redeployed Thursday to the northern base of Port-de-Paix to hold positions until their colleagues depart.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Kenya for shouldering a “huge burden” that prevented total collapse. “Without Kenya’s leadership the situation would have been far worse,” he said.
The withdrawal coincides with a new UN Security Council resolution replacing the MSS with a larger, more offensive Gang Suppression Force (GSF) of up to 5,550 troops mandated to dismantle criminal networks and pave the way for long-delayed elections.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has indicated the returning officers’ experience will be redeployed against urban gangs and cattle rustlers at home.
While hailed for professionalism, the mission faced criticism over casualties, at least eight Kenyan officers were wounded, and questions about sustainability in a country scarred by previous foreign interventions that introduced cholera and allegations of abuse.
