NEW YORK, USA — President William Ruto has called on the international community to step up support for Haiti, warning that the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission led by Kenya risks losing hard-won gains if global partners fail to provide adequate resources.
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, Ruto said Haiti’s stability was achievable but demanded clear mandates, predictable funding, and stronger logistical backing.
“When we deployed our officers, we knew the MSS was not the ultimate solution. Haiti’s stability requires a multi-pronged approach that addresses root causes,” Ruto said at a high-level side event on Kenya’s perspective of the mission.
Kenya deployed its first 200 officers to Haiti in June 2024 following a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the MSS.
Today, the mission has nearly 1,000 personnel, including 735 Kenyans, alongside contingents from Guatemala, El Salvador, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Canada.
Ruto noted that since the deployment, gangs have been driven out of key installations such as the airport, the presidential palace, and police headquarters, while schools, hospitals and ports have reopened.
“The situation in Haiti can and must be solved. This is not Mission Impossible,” he told world leaders.
But the president was blunt about the mission’s constraints, saying it had been operating at only 40 percent of expected capacity due to inadequate troop contributions and insufficient equipment.
He singled out logistical challenges, including unreliable vehicles and limited capacity to set up security bases outside Port-au-Prince.
“I must be as candid as possible. What is going on — that we cannot marshal support to drive out gangs — is unacceptable, indefensible and simply wrong,” Ruto said.
The Kenyan leader paid tribute to three officers — Samuel Tomoi Kaetuai, Benedict Kabiru and Kennedy Nzuve — who died while serving in Haiti.
He praised Haitian authorities and regional partners, particularly the Dominican Republic, for supporting the mission.
With the MSS mandate set to expire in 11 days, Ruto urged the UN Security Council’s permanent members to ensure a “clear transition” to a successor mission.
“We will not walk away from Haiti in haste. If we do not transition properly, we may lose what we have achieved,” he warned.
The mission, Ruto emphasized, has already shown progress. “When the first contingent arrived in Port-au-Prince, few could have imagined that a Boeing 787 would land at the airport without the risk of being brought down. Today, that is a reality.”
