A Kenyan force is set to depart for Haiti on June 25 to lead a UN-backed mission aimed at curbing gang violence, despite ongoing legal challenges, according to government and police sources.
Kenya has volunteered approximately 1,000 police officers to help stabilize Haiti, joining personnel from several other nations. However, this deployment has faced legal obstacles within Kenya.
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President William Ruto, a strong advocate for the mission, announced earlier this month that the deployment would begin soon.
An interior ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed, “The departure is this week on Tuesday.”
A senior police official added, “Preparations are set for the team to depart for Haiti on Tuesday. We already have two advance teams that left—one last week and another one yesterday.”
Although a UN Security Council resolution approved the mission in October, a Kenyan court delayed the deployment in January, ruling that the government lacked the authority to send police officers abroad without prior agreement. This agreement was secured on March 1, but a small opposition party has since filed a new lawsuit to block the deployment.
In addition to Kenya, other countries willing to join the mission include Benin, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad.
While the United States is providing funding and logistical support, it will not be deploying troops to Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas.
Human Rights Watch has expressed concerns about the mission, including doubts about its funding and the conduct of Kenyan police, who have been accused of using excessive force and committing unlawful killings.
Recently, a police watchdog announced an investigation into allegations that a 29-year-old man was shot by officers in Nairobi following youth-led protests against proposed tax hikes.
Haiti has long struggled with gang violence, but conditions sharply worsened in late February when armed groups launched coordinated attacks in the capital, Port-au-Prince, aiming to overthrow then-prime minister Ariel Henry.
In early March, Henry announced he would step down and transfer executive power to a transitional council, which appointed Garry Conille as interim prime minister on May 29.
The violence in Port-au-Prince has severely impacted food security and humanitarian aid access, with much of the city controlled by gangs accused of abuses including murder, rape, looting, and kidnappings.
