Haiti welcomes 217 more Kenyan police officers, says they will boost fight against gang violence in the country
The deployment of the second contingent came a day after a key member of United States President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration signaled US support for the mission will be sustained.

Kenya yesterday dispatched 217 more police officers to Haiti to bolster the Multinational Security Support Mission tasked with ending long-running gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
This now brings the number of Kenyan officers in the force to 617. President William Ruto pledged to deploy 1,000 officers to the mission, which the country leads, 400 of whom were dispatched last year.
The mission has, however, been grappling with underfunding and delays by force contributing countries to fulfil their pledges even as gang violence persists.
Receiving the officers at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime said their arrival is a crucial step in freeing his country from the grip of criminal networks.
“The arrival of these reinforcements marks a crucial step in freeing our country from the grip of criminal networks and restoring peace,” he said.
Haitian President Fritz Alphonse Jean also thanked Kenya for its unwavering support in fighting gang insurgence in the nation, affirming that the Caribbean nation will ensure the soldiers remain safe.
“We want to welcome our brothers from Kenya. The (other) Kenyan troops are fighting hard and these are challenging times and in challenging times we need friends like you,” he said during a welcoming ceremony.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli, who accompanied the officers, urged them to remain vigilant and help the war-torn nation regain peace.
“Since the deployment of the first contingent the officers have executed successful operations against gangs. I encourage the officers to maintain the set level of excellence as they work towards fulfilling their mandate,” he said.
Earlier, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who saw off the contingent at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, assured that Kenya’s commitment to the mission is unwavering.
“The Kenya-led mission has made tremendous progress in reducing gang violence, earning praise across the globe,” said Mukomen, who shared a photo of himself with some of the officers aboard a plane.
The deployment of the second contingent came a day after a key member of United States President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration signaled US support for the mission will be sustained.
There had been fears that the exit of President Joe Biden, who leaves office tomorrow, could see financial support ceased by the Trump administration, a consideration that sparked efforts to upgrade it into a United Nations peacekeeping force, which were frustrated by Russia and China at the Security Council.
However, speaking during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio ruled out direct US intervention and instead backed the use of a multination security force as he praised the efforts Kenyan police officers are putting in the mission.
“There is no easy answer, the Kenyans are there and they deserve a lot of credit for being willing to take on that mission and in recent days missions from various countries have arrived. I don’t think anyone has a master plan for how you fix that overnight,” he said.
“I do think it does begin with stability and security,” Rubio added. ”You’ve got to establish some baseline security, and it’s not going to come from a US military intervention. So, to the extent that we can encourage foreign partners — and I would include foreign partners in the Western Hemisphere, who should be contributing to this effort — to provide some level of stability and security in Haiti, so that you can explore the opportunities to have a a transitional government that has legitimacy that can ultimately lead to the conduct of elections.” “But it’s going to take a long time,” he added, “and I say this with sadness in my heart.”
The Biden administration has provided more than US$600 million in assistance for the foreign mission — mostly over the objections of leading Republican lawmakers charged with confirming Rubio, and who opposed the deployment of Kenyan police to Haiti with US funds.
Additional reporting from agencies.