2,000 Haitian Police Set To Be Trained In Kenya As Mission Faces Setback

2,000 Haitian Police Set To Be Trained In Kenya As Mission Faces Setback

Kenya has made significant changes to its plan to deploy police officers to Haiti, promising to train Haitian security officers. 

While the plan to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti remains unchanged, Kenya agreed on Sunday, May 26, to train an additional 2,000 Haitian police officers. 

The force will be trained in Kenya before returning to the Caribbean nation to combat gangs that control 80 percent of the island. 

This was relayed during a meeting between the Kenya Police advance team, made up of senior security officers, and the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council. 

The 2,000 Haitian police officers will be given a crash education in law enforcement and fighting. 

While the exact date when the Haitian police officers are due to arrive in Kenya has not been confirmed, the training is planned to last two weeks, with the policemen returning to their home nation in mid-June 2024. 

Coincidentally, that is the same time Kenya is set to send its first squad of 200 police officers to the unstable country. 

Multiple delays have occurred in the deployment of police personnel to Haiti, the most recent being logistical issues that pushed the deployment back from the originally agreed-upon date of May 23. 

Furthermore, for about a year, President William Ruto’s administration had to deal with numerous judicial proceedings questioning the legitimacy of the deployment.

The United States Congress had previously blocked the disbursement of Ksh8 billion, which would have assisted the exercise before President Joe Biden utilized the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to expedite funds.

Kenya will be part of a global group that will combat gangs in Haiti while also overseeing free and fair elections. 

Other countries that have expressed an interest in joining include Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria, and Mauritius.

2,000 Haitian Police Set To Be Trained In Kenya As Mission Faces Setback