- The team and their relatives in Kenya have since said they are yet to receive the salaries promised.
- Each of the officers in the mission is supposed to get at least Sh100,000 above the salaries that they get as police officers in Kenya.
An agency overseeing the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti has explained why the Kenya police salaries have been delayed.
August 25 marked two months since the Kenyan police landed in Haiti to help the Caribbean country stabilize from criminal gangs.
The first team landed there on June 25 while the second one arrived a month later on July 16.
The team and their relatives in Kenya have since said they are yet to receive the salaries under the UN-backed mission.
Each of the officers in the mission is supposed to get at least Sh100,000 above the salaries that they get as police officers in Kenya.
The Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti on Monday said the monies will be paid in the week.
“The process for the disbursement of salaries to the MSSM officers' accounts has been finalised and it is expected that the same will soon be reflected in their individual bank accounts in the course of this week,” a statement from the mission said.
“Going forward, elaborate mechanism has been put in place where payments will be promptly done at the end of the month,” the statement said.
It added there is nothing to worry about regarding the welfare issues of the MSS officers since mainstream processes have been finalized.
The more than 400 officers already in the mission are however receiving their salaries that they had been getting while in Kenya.
The MSSM is anchored under Human Rights due Diligence Policy and Trust Fund, which is facilitated voluntarily by donor countries.
So far many countries including the US have donated money to the fund which is being processed.
‘We are happy to report that the concerned body has moved with speed to put in place elaborate mechanisms and framework which have operationalized the usage of the Trust Fund,” the statement statement.
The statement said since the deployment of MSSM and Haitian National Police have made several milestones despite being on the deployment phase of the mission.
“MSSM continues to appreciate the existing provided amenities in terms of welfare as other logistics are being mobilized to make the mission a success.”
“The MSSM officers have been enjoying and continue to make use of the available communication and interactive systems which have enabled them to communicate with their loved ones back at home,” the statement added.
It added the MSSM officers remain committed, patriotic and focused on the success of the mission as they believe and trust that their welfare issues are being addressed by the entire leadership (Kenya, the Trust fund Advisory Board and the MSSM).
The Kenyan police team had complained of a lack of communication from their bosses over the issue.
The team at the weekend received more equipment from France and USA.
The war against gangsters in Haiti was at the same time advanced when more hardware, including ambush-resistant armored vehicles were received to be used for operations.
The French government gave a huge boost to the Haitian National Police (HNP) when they delivered 24 APC with turrets at the National Port in Haiti.
The USA government, through the DOD, also delivered two more Maxxpros with turrets to MSSM Force Commander Godfrey Otunge, with more expected in the coming days.
Both the French and US governments have maintained their steadfast commitments and contributions to the MSSM in Haiti.
More equipment and vehicles are expected in the coming weeks as the first phase of the pre-deployment comes to a close.
More force-contributing countries like the Bahamas and Jamaica have indicated plays to deploy to the theatre soon.
Otunge, while receiving the MaxxPros, put the notorious gangs on notice, pointing out that their days are numbered and they should stop tormenting Haitians.
He said continuous joint patrols and trainings between Kenya contingent special forces and the Haiti SWAT team have enhanced synergy among the teams.
He noted that Haitians are eager to see key gang leaders arrested to face justice and assured the populace that it is just a matter of time, opining that the MSSM will stop at nothing to ensure that Haitians enjoy peace and tranquility buttressed under democratic processes that will see free and fair elections.
Among others, the team has taken control of a local port, a national hospital and a major road from the gang.
Violence in Ganthier had by August 1 displaced nearly 6,000 residents, U.N. data showed.
Close to 600,000 people have been internally displaced by the conflict and hundreds of thousands of would-be migrants deported back to Haiti, where nearly 5 million people are suffering from severe hunger.
Kenyan police are in Haiti to help the local officials stabilize from gangs that had almost overrun the capital.
Apart from Kenya, other countries that have pledged to send officers to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada and France.