The Haitian Government, through its Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus, accepted an offer from its Kenyan counterpart to donate 1,000 police offers to train its law enforcement.
In a statement on Sunday, July 30, Geneus hailed Kenyan generosity as a show of solidarity.
“Haiti appreciates this expression of African solidarity and looks forward to welcoming Kenya’s proposed evaluation mission,” the Minister noted.
Kenya, which also volunteered to lead a multi-national order in helping the North American country restore its law and order, cannot begin sending its troops just yet.
The country will be required to obtain a mandate from the United Nations Security Council alongside a formal agreement by local authorities.
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), a French media outlet, the council is awaiting to present a report on the options that Haiti has by mid-August.
Kenya offered to lead the multinational force nearly a year after the UN lobbied for international intervention to help law enforcement in the country deal with surging crime.
No country had stepped forward during the period.
Making his announcement to deploy the 1,000 officers, Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua noted that the effort was aimed at restoring normalcy in Haiti.
"Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a Multi-National Force to Haiti. Kenya's commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations," he stated on Saturday, July 29.
Reports indicate that gangs have taken control of about 80% of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The vices include kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery and carjackings.
The attacks grew intense at the beginning of the year including the destruction of police stations and assault of police officers.
In July 2021, the then-President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated which tipped the country into terror and disarray. The Prime Minister, according to the New York Times, is widely seen as inept while the terms of the members of Parliament expired in January.
The US government led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken had actively sought a country to lead the multi-national force.
