HAITI – Kenyan police officers deployed to Haiti under a United Nations-backed security mission have begun preparations to return home, marking the end of a year-long international effort to support the crisis-hit Caribbean nation.
The final batch of about 400 officers is expected to depart Haiti starting next week, according to officials familiar with the operation.
Their withdrawal will pave the way for a fresh contingent, which is scheduled to fly out of Nairobi aboard a chartered aircraft in the coming days.
The drawdown signals the conclusion of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, a deployment authorised by the UN Security Council in October 2023 in response to spiralling gang violence and the collapse of public order.
Kenya has served as the lead nation in the mission, which has worked alongside the Haitian National Police (HNP) to stabilise key areas and secure humanitarian access.
Roughly 800 Kenyan officers have served in Haiti since June 2024, operating under the command of force commander Geoffrey Otunge.
The mission’s first two contingents — 400 officers in the initial deployment and 200 in the second — were drawn from specialised units including the GSU, the Anti-Stock Theft Unit, and the Rapid Deployment Unit.
To support the rotation, a relief team of about 170 officers is set to leave Kenya this weekend after undergoing final briefings at the GSU Training School.
The group had been pre-selected and trained earlier for the mission. Their arrival in Haiti will allow the outgoing cohorts to regroup in Port-au-Prince before boarding flights home.
On Thursday, officers stationed at the main camp in Port-au-Prince were temporarily redeployed to the Port-de-Paix base to hold strategic positions during the transition.
Officers familiar with the arrangements said the rotation is intended to ensure continuity and prevent any security gaps that gangs might exploit.
During their deployment, MSS officers have conducted joint patrols, secured sensitive facilities, trained HNP units, and helped create safer conditions for residents and humanitarian agencies.
Their professionalism has earned praise from Haitian authorities and international partners.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has previously said the officers’ experience in Haiti will strengthen Kenya’s domestic capacity to combat organised criminal groups.
The withdrawal comes as the UN moves to transition the MSS into a newly approved Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a more offensive mission with a one-year initial mandate and the potential to expand to 5,550 personnel.
The GSF is expected to work with Haitian authorities to neutralise armed groups, curb illicit weapons trafficking, secure vital infrastructure, and pave the way for national elections.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended Kenya’s leadership in Haiti, calling its role “extraordinary” and warning that the situation could have been far worse without Nairobi’s involvement.
He said Kenya had “carried a huge burden” over nearly two years, and that progress achieved so far would guide Washington’s next phase of strategy in Haiti.
The GSF becomes the third major intervention in Haiti since 1994, following Operation Uphold Democracy (1994–95) and the UN Stabilisation Mission (2004–2017) — the latter marred by cholera outbreaks and allegations of abuse that eroded public trust in international forces.
