One hundred Kenyan police officers stepped off a plane in Nairobi on Tuesday to cheers and embraces, ending an 18-month tour that helped claw back parts of Haiti’s capital from powerful criminal gangs. Hours earlier in Port-au-Prince, 230 fresh Kenyan officers had touched down to replace them, ensuring Kenya remains the backbone of an international effort to stabilize the troubled Caribbean nation.
The returning officers were among the first Kenyans deployed in June 2024 under what was then called the Multinational Security Support mission. That force has since been rebranded the Gang Suppression Force after a U.N. Security Council vote in October extended and strengthened its mandate.
Kenya now has more than 700 officers in Haiti — by far the largest contingent — despite legal battles at home, political skepticism and the deaths of three Kenyan personnel in combat.
At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat praised the returning officers for their discipline and adherence to human rights standards. “They have done us proud,” he said. Administration Police Commander Gilbert Masengeli and National Security Adviser Monica Juma joined the welcome, calling the mission “a promise kept” to Haiti and announcing counseling and reintegration programs for the veterans.
A mission born in controversy
The deployment was delayed for months by Kenyan court challenges that questioned its legality and the risks to officers. Critics argued Kenya had enough domestic security problems without sending police to a distant country plagued by gang violence and political chaos.
Those fears were not unfounded. Gangs threatened to treat the Kenyans as invaders, and three officers were later killed in separate firefights.
Yet Kenyan authorities and their international partners say the intervention prevented Port-au-Prince from falling completely under gang control. The first 400 officers, followed by another 200, came from elite units including the General Service Unit paramilitary wing, the Rapid Deployment Unit and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit.
Gains on the ground
Working alongside the outgunned Haitian National Police, Kenyan-led teams have reopened major roads, recaptured the country’s largest public hospital and restored access to the main seaport — achievements that had seemed impossible a year ago.
Markets have reopened in some neighborhoods, schools have resumed classes and more than 100,000 displaced residents have returned home, according to United Nations figures.
Force Commander Godfrey Otunge, speaking Monday at Toussaint Louverture International Airport as the latest contingent arrived, said the transition from the old mission to the new Gang Suppression Force had gone smoothly.
“Kenya stands with Haiti — for as long as it takes — until peace prevails,” Otunge told Haitian police and dignitaries. He said the restructured force is better coordinated and better equipped than its predecessor.
A multinational effort, Kenyan-led
Other countries — including Jamaica, The Bahamas, El Salvador and Guatemala — have sent smaller contingents or pledged troops, but Kenya provides roughly 40% of the total personnel on the ground.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Kenyan President William Ruto in Washington last week and publicly thanked Kenya for its leadership. Funding for the mission comes largely from voluntary contributions, with the United States the biggest donor.
The fight is far from over
Despite the progress, gangs still control large sections of the capital and much of the countryside. The U.N. estimates armed groups dominate up to 90% of Port-au-Prince.
Logistical problems persist: some vehicles are second-hand, ammunition supplies have been inconsistent and full staffing levels have never been reached.
Haitian gang leaders have occasionally floated the idea of negotiations, a shift analysts attribute to sustained pressure from the Kenyan-led patrols.
Looking to elections
The ultimate goal remains creating enough security for Haiti to hold long-delayed national elections. Otunge addressed Haitians directly during Monday’s ceremony: “We will win this fight. We will defeat those who have held communities hostage for far too long.”
Back in Nairobi, one returning officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, summed up the mixed emotions of the mission.
“We went to help people who needed it badly,” he said. “We did what we could. Now the rest of the world needs to do its part.”
