After almost a year since Kenya promised to deploy police officers to Haiti, the first boots on the ground to the troubled Caribbean nation has been set for May 23.
According to sources from United States government officials, the first batch of Kenyan police officers will land by late May to fight gangs that have caused unrest in the region.
It has not yet been confirmed how many officers will be deployed within the first batch but in total, President William Ruto’s administration expects to send 1,000 soldiers to Haiti.
Sources privy to Kenya and the United States government officials have animated that the first planes to land in Haiti on May 23, could be carrying 200 police officers.
With less than a month to the deployment, concerns have been raised about where the officers from Kenya will be housed.
According to news reports, the United States had agreed to construct a base where the multinational force would reside.
The United States Defence Department through the Pentagon is now rushing against time to ensure the facility is in place within the next three weeks.
Kenyan police officers are expected to be joined by Benin security officials who have made a similar pledge to help quell unrest in Haiti.
Initially, the primary focus of the Kenyan-led mission had been to bring peace to the country which has been ravaged by civil war for years.
The mission has since changed and the primary focus will now be to guide Haiti in conducting free and fair elections.
To achieve this, Kenya will work closely with the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) that was installed on Wednesday, April 24 after a recommendation by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
President William Ruto has remained optimistic that the mission will be a success.
“Kenya stands ready and willing-in concert with a broad alliance of nations in Africa and CARICOM- committed to Haiti's stability, to rapidly execute the security support infrastructure envisaged under UN Security Council 2699 (2023),” Ruto stated on April 23.
