Ruto: Presence of Kenyan police in Haiti will give citizens relief

President William Ruto has expressed confidence that the presence of Kenyan police officers in Haiti will offer relief to the citizens of the Caribbean country.

The President said Kenya has solid credentials in peace-making and conflict resolution globally.

“Our police officers' presence in Haiti will give relief to the men, women and children whose lives have been broken by gang violence. We will work with the international community to bring lasting stability to Haiti,” he said.

The President was speaking at the Administration Police Training College, Embakasi during a pre-deployment briefing of the first Kenyan police contingent to the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti.

Kenya volunteered last July to lead an international force to tackle violence in Haiti, where gangs control most of the capital Port-au-Prince and have carried out widespread killings, kidnappings and sexual violence.

The Kenyan-led mission was authorised by the United Nations Security Council in October 2023.

Its mandate is to assist Haitian police in securing key infrastructure and fighting criminal groups, which control nearly all the country’s capital and are responsible for widespread abuses.

The Caribbean nation has been racked by violence in recent months after gangs declared war on the government of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry in February.

The UN says more than 2,500 people were killed or injured across the country from January to March while at least 95,000 people have fled the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Henry had pleaded with the UN Security Council last year to deploy a mission that would bolster Haiti’s fragile security forces and help clamp down on rampant gang violence.