IG Kanja dismisses ‘unpatriotic’ questioning of Kenyan troop in Haiti mission

The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, has dismissed concerns about the capability of Kenyan police officers serving under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti.

It follows an article by the Daily Nation newspaper in which experts called on the government to rethink the mission, highlighting the death of two officers, the funding shortage the operation faces and faulty equipment the officers reportedly have.

Kanja, in a Tuesday statement through his spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, criticised the concerns as “unfounded, false, and unpatriotic.” He held that Kenyan officers were well-trained before being deployed to help Haitian police combat gangs in the Caribbean nation in June 2024.

“The officers underwent rigorous training, covering a wide range of critical areas, including firearms proficiency, public order management, international human rights and humanitarian law, fundamental principles of peacekeeping, and French language training,” the National Police Service (NPS) boss said.

“This comprehensive preparation fully equipped them for the mission.”

The police IG said the Kenyan troop is adequately resourced with equipment like tactical vehicles, ballistic helmets, bulletproof vests, ammunition, helicopters and drones, “all of which meet international standards.”

“Kenya's National Police Service continues to demonstrate exceptional capability and professionalism in executing this mission… despite challenges inherent in such security operations,” Kanja added.

Kenya has so far sent about 800 officers to Haiti in the mission approved by the U.N. Security Council in October 2023.

It comprises more than 1,000 officers from other countries like Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador who are working alongside Haiti’s national police.

The troops have faced serious clashes with Haitian gangs. Apart from the death of two Kenyan officers, two others were injured three weeks ago and evacuated to the neighbouring Dominican Republic for medical care.

The mission, whose most funding and equipment the U.S. has provided, has struggled to secure significant contributions from other countries.

It was further thrown into jeopardy after the U.S. froze its financial contributions to the force’s United Nations fund in February, which stopped $13.3 million in pending aid.