Kenya and Haiti sign deal on deployment of 1,000 police officers

President William Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henri witness deal signing.[Photo, PSC]

Kenyan President William Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henri have witnessed the signing of a security deal between the two countries to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti.

Ruto on Friday, March 1 while hosting the Haitian PM at State House, Nairobi stated that they also discussed the next steps to enable the fast-tracking of the deployment of Kenyan police officers to the Caribbean nation.

"I take this opportunity to reiterate Kenya's commitment to contribute to the success of this multi-national mission. We believe this is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for the world as a whole," said Ruto.

The Haitian PM Henri thanked Ruto and Kenya for offering to lead the security mission in Haiti meant to stabilise the country.

"What this mission is bringing is hope for the future of humankind, for a people who cannot see how they will live tomorrow," the prime minister said.

On October 2, 2023, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2699, authorising a multinational security support mission to Haiti.

Preparations for the mission are in top gear, including the authorisation procedures, preparation of mission documents, including the concept of operations, conduct, and discipline policy, among other security procedures.

Despite a case in court challenging the deployment, Ruto says there has been extensive engagement with member States to translate the global solidarity into concrete support for the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).

The UNSC and Cabinet approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers on October 13, 2023, before Parliament unanimously approved its deployment on November 16, 2023.