A second batch of Kenyan police officers departed from Nairobi to Haiti to assist in combating gangs that have nearly overrun the Caribbean nation. The team of 200 officers left on Monday night, July 15, aboard a UN-chartered flight and was scheduled to arrive in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday at 10 am Kenyan time.
Outgoing Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police and coordinator of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, Noor Gabow, along with acting Deputy Inspector General James Kamau, were present to see off the team.
The MSS, an international police force approved by the United Nations Security Council on October 2, 2023, was established to aid the Haitian government in restoring law and order amid ongoing civil strife and gang violence since 2018.
Gabow instructed the team to fulfill their mandate and represent Kenya and the region effectively.
“I know you are ready for the mission. Go and help the Haitians stand up and take off. They are good people,” said Gabow.
The Kenyan police contingent in Haiti will be responsible for securing hospitals, airports, ports, the presidential palace, and national highways. After weeks of planning and on-the-ground learning, the team assisted Haitian police in recapturing a national hospital that had been occupied by gangs.
Haiti’s newly selected Prime Minister Garry Conille and police chief Normil Rameau visited the country’s largest hospital on Tuesday, July 9. Authorities had regained control of the Hospital of the State University of Haiti, known as the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, from armed gangs on July 7.
During a news conference, Rameau announced that police had secured the hospital after months of escalating attacks.
He assured that the operation to neutralize the gangs would be completed smoothly. Rameau was accompanied by the commander of the Kenyan team, Godfrey Otunge, who stated that the UN-backed Kenyan police contingent intends to collaborate closely with Haitian authorities and international partners dedicated to rebuilding Haiti.
The hospital, now severely damaged by gangs, had its beds stripped and ceiling fans on the floor. The interior was filled with debris, and walls and nearby buildings were riddled with bullet holes, indicating the intensity of the fights between police and gangs. The hospital is located across the street from the National Palace, which has seen numerous battles in recent months.
Conille described the building as looking like “a war zone” and announced that the hospital should be fully operational by February 2026. He also noted that the hospital previously served about 1,500 people a day before the gang’s occupation. Council member Louis Gérald Gilles, also present during the visit, supported this statement.
“This hospital is not for the rich, it’s for the poor. These are people that need serious help that can’t go see a private doctor.”
The escalating violence in Haiti has resulted in a surge of patients with serious illnesses and a shortage of resources to treat them. Gangs have been looting, setting fires, and destroying medical institutions and pharmacies in the capital, where they control up to 80 percent of the area.
Haiti’s healthcare system, already struggling before the violence, faces additional challenges from the rainy season, which is likely to worsen conditions and increase the risk of water-borne diseases. Poor hygiene conditions in camps and makeshift settlements have heightened the risk of diseases like cholera, with over 84,000 suspected cases in the country, according to a UNICEF report.
Besides the hospital, gunmen have seized police stations, attacked the main international airport (which was closed for nearly three months), and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons. The violence in Haiti has displaced nearly 580,000 people since March, according to a report from the U.N. migration agency.
Since the arrival of Kenyan police, security forces have managed to recapture the Gressier Police Station and take control of several areas. Haitian Police Chief Normil Rameau revealed new strategies to track down criminals and enhance citizen security with the help of Kenyan officers and local authorities.
“The community must understand that the period of leniency is over and we are actively working to restore security,” Rameau said. “With the support of the MSS and the entire HNP, we are regaining lost territory and ensuring that security is a national priority.”
In addition to Kenya, other countries that have pledged to send officers to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada, and France.
