Six months into the Kenya police mission in Haiti normalcy is gradually returning in parts of the troubled Caribbean country.
The situation began to change with the Multinational Security Support (MSS) and Haitian National Police's (HNP's) regular patrols in neighbourhoods such as Cité Soleil, Downtown, Solino, and Viv Mitchell. These neighbourhoods were strongholds of the Jimmy Chérizier nicknamed Barbecue.
Open-air markets are operating again, street vendors are back in business, and small traders work without fear. Schools have also reopened as gangs have retreated from areas where MSS troops have pacified.
Explaining how they have been able to penetrate and return to normal business, MSS Force Commander Godfrey Otunge revealed that they have different kinds of patrols that have helped them succeed.
According to Otunga, due to the time they have spent there, the Haitians have begun opening up to them and giving them intel on the gangs.
"We've been conducting different patrols, we have the targeted patrols, we have targeted operations, we have reassurance patrols, we have the normal patrols, the joints operations, and several others, which are intelligence-led," Otunga explained.
"Out of this, we have pacified several areas, that is why we have been able to conquer the gangs, the population is also warming up and giving us information because they also want the gangs to end," he continued.
Otunge further informed that they were able to pacify Barbecue's stronghold in Delmas, a place that had been completely deserted and termed a no-go zone.
According to Otunge the MSS in an operation with the HNP conquered the Delmas Area and paralysed the gangs headed by Barbecue. He revealed that the area has returned to peace and people are returning from IDP camps to reoccupy their houses in the area.
When the first Kenyan contingent arrived in Haiti in June 2024, most businesses in these gang-controlled areas had completely shut down due to attacks and vandalism.
With the success witnessed so far, local business owners are calling on MSS to continue their patrols and targeted operations, to ensure the safety needed for businesses to flourish.
In January 2025, Kenya sent more than 200 police officers to Haiti joining 400 others that had gone for the mission last year.
