Ruto visits Haiti to assess progress of Kenyan police mission

President William Ruto on Saturday made an impromptu visit to Port-au-Prince in Haiti where he commended the Kenyan police contingent deployed as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission.

The visit comes 100 days after the flag-off of the Kenyan forces, who have been working to restore stability in the troubled Caribbean nation.

President Ruto lauded the collaboration between Kenya and Haitian police force which he said has been crucial to the success of the mission.

The Kenyan contingent, comprising 1,000 police officers, has been operating in Haiti since June 2024.

Ruto noted that despite initial skepticism regarding the mission, it has already begun to deliver results, restoring security in several areas previously controlled by gangs.

“The decision to deploy to Haiti was a matter of immense public interest in both Kenya and Haiti as well as throughout the world. The decision was met with scepticism, criticism and pessimism, and many questions were raised,” Ruto stated.

“In deploying officers to Haiti, Kenya was not, and is not, acting in isolation. Rather, we are leading the mission on behalf of the international community as part of our commitment to global peace and security,” he added.

Ruto further urged the international community to support Haiti in its peace and stability efforts.

“I believe that for far too long, Haiti has been abused, exploited and neglected, and I state that this is unacceptable. For this reason, it is the duty of all humanity to demand, pursue and deliver justice for Haiti and to ensure that the international community fulfils its obligations to this nation,” said Ruto

The deployment of Kenyan police force to Haiti has garnered support from the international community including the United States.

According to Ruto, Kenya has the ability and experience to accomplish as successful security mission in Haiti having taken part in 46 missions in places such as Darfur and Kosovo, Namibia and Eritrea, Angola and Sierra Leone, as well as the DRC and East Timor.

President Ruto is later expected to participate in the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

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