Kenya police in Haiti hand over liberated police station to Guatemala, Ruto says

Kenya police deployed to Haiti handed over a police station to Guatemala personnel after it was liberated from criminal gangs.

This was the third Forward Operating Base to be liberated amid an operation to tame the gangs there.

President William Ruto Wednesday congratulated the personnel for the move.

“The National Police Service officers under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti hand over the Third Forward Operating Base to Guatemala troops who are part of the peace mission. Hongera!,” he said in a post on X.

The Guatemala personnel took over the headquarters of the Haiti National Police to among others guide local personnel in managing crime in general.

Ruto said the team has intensified patrols in major cities to contain crime.

“National Police officers under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti intensify patrols in major cities of the gang-troubled nation. Order has been restored in several towns and residents are grateful for the police intervention,” he said in a post on his social media accounts.

The MSS Mission, headquartered in Port-au-Prince, is an international operation led by Kenya and authorized by the United Nations Security Council to assist the Haiti National Police in restoring peace, law and order amid threats of criminal gangs and violence.

There are now 600 Kenya police officers in Haiti.

There are currently also police and military officers from Jamaica, along with soldiers from The Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the MSS team and those from Haiti National Police have jointly accelerated efforts to ensure a reduction in crime and violence and promote a more secure environment.

“The reopening of schools and colleges on the 2nd October 2024 and the subsequent reopening of courts on the 7th October 2024 is a testament to the improved security conditions, despite the ongoing threat by gangs.”

“Civilian protection focus has ensured increased seizure of harmful exposure like drug, arms, and ammunition by the police and are an indication of efforts to cut off the major funding sources for gangs,” he said.

He added the team has conducted education on responsible and lawful behavior through community engagement forums.

These programs help in fostering a more cooperative environment between security agencies and the civilian population.

Murkomen said the team has prioritized the protection of children and educational institutions.

Sensitization and outreach programs to discourage gang affiliation have been consistently carried out, ensuring children’s safety and promoting educational continuity.

MSS is supporting the HNP in securing the Police School with a four-month fast–track basic training of 747 cadets which began on 27th August 2024 and whose trainees successfully graduated on January 10, 2025.

Murkomen said major gangs have been destabilized.

“It is a sobering perspective that Peace Keeping calls on our collective empathy for fellow human beings and it is our prayer that as a continent we will discover a system in which peace is more rewarding than war. When we are talking about human dignity, that should be without borders.”

“Kenya remains committed to the global community and citizens of Haiti and will support the mission by deployment of more officers from various Units within the Service including GSU, Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), and the all-female Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT),” he said.

To President Ruto, it was a plus for the team to fly to Haiti after months of waiting.

Ruto’s uncertainties about the mission’s fate seems to were put to rest, at last for now, following last week’s comments from President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lauded Kenya for its leadership of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, and signaled continued U.S. support.

Rubio’s comments were immediately noticed and on Saturday at 2 a.m. Kenya time, Murkomen and his team waved the new contingent off as they boarded a Kenya Airways aircraft from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

Their presence boosts the total number of foreign security personnel to just under 800.

Last year, Haiti saw a record number of neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas fall to armed gangs, despite the presence of foreign forces and a new U.S.-backed transition government.

As the gangs took over neighborhoods and carried out some of the worst massacres in recent memory, they also deepened the country’s humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands more Haitians were forced to flee their homes.