Kenyans woke up to the heart-wrenching news of the death of yet another police officer killed by the plundering gangs of Haiti.
A month ago, policeman Samuel Kaetuai, 28, was the first casualty of the adventure.
Since the UN Security Council approved the mission, the envisaged total police contingent of 2,500 has never been achieved.
Kenya’s contingent of 800 remains the highest, with Belize, Jamaica and Guatemala sending a paltry 200 officers.
The Kenyan team has virtually been burdened with the life-and-death assignment of helping Haitian police officers subdue the gangs.
A large number of the countries that pledged to send in troops have either grown cold feet and changed their minds or have funding challenges.
In 2024 about 6,000 Haitians were killed in gang violence and the numbers continue to rise.
It is obvious that the mission has been silently abandoned by the countries that were initially enthusiastic about rescuing Haiti.
The deaths are proof that the teams are outnumbered and ill-equipped.
Reports indicate that Port au Prince, the capital, is 85 per cent controlled by the gangs and they are very likely, unless the Kenyan contingent is strengthened with the deployment of more personnel, to take total control.
The poorly armed mission cannot beat the gangs. The mission does not even have a helicopter for patrols. We must review the situation, taking into account there is no justifiable reason for our young men to die when even Haiti’s neighbours are reluctant to help.
The Haiti muddle is extremely complex with reports indicating that political parties back the gangs. We must pose and ask ourselves whether we are sacrificing our young men for no reason.
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Quote of the day: “It is only natural that for any
statesman at the helm of any government the
question of his country’s security should be a
concern of the utmost importance.” —Japanese
politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Eisaku Sato
was born on March 27, 1901
