On Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 11:00 AM in Haiti, Kenya Airways , known as the Pride of Africa, landed at Toussaint Louverture International Airport (TLIA).
On board was the fourth Kenyan contingent joining the ever-expanding MSS Mission family.
A distinguished delegation of Haitian government officials welcomed the Kenyan contingent.
Leading the reception was the President of the Transition Presidential Council (TPC), Leslie Voltaire, alongside Prime Minister, Haiti National Police Director General Normil Rameau, and MSS Force Commander Godfrey Otunge.
Several ambassadors were also in attendance, including Marco Peñín Toledano (Spain), Dennis B. Hankins (USA), Antoine Michon (France), and André François Giroux (Canada).
This marks the fourth deployment of Kenyan personnel to the MSS mission.
The Kenyan government had pledged to send 1,000 personnel, and with this latest arrival, they are close to fulfilling that commitment.
This contribution is a significant step toward achieving the MSS mission’s mandate. Just two days earlier, on Tuesday, the MSS welcomed a contingent from El Salvador, which brought specialized air support capabilities to the mission.
Among the newly arrived Kenyan personnel is an elite all-female SWAT team, a highly skilled tactical unit bringing specialized expertise to the field.
The SWAT team made a striking entrance as they disembarked, fully equipped and ready for action, drawing the attention of both local and international media eager to capture the moment.
Like their male counterparts, they are expected to enhance operations as they collaborate with the Haitian National Police (HNP).
International and national partners have played a crucial role in this deployment phase, with countries such as the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, and South Korea fulfilling their commitments to support the mission.
Additionally, the mission has significantly improved its operational capabilities.
Air support has been strengthened with reinforcements from El Salvador, maritime capabilities have been bolstered by contributions from the Bahamas, and land operations have been enhanced with equipment provided by donor nations. In a further boost, just 45 minutes after the Kenya Airways flight landed, a Ukrainian cargo plane arrived from El Salvador carrying three helicopters designated for medical evacuations (Medevac) and casualty evacuations (Casevac).
The day’s events silenced skeptics who had speculated that the mission was on the verge of collapse following the U.S. government’s recent decision to freeze funding to the Trust Fund.
The successful arrival of reinforcements and equipment demonstrated that the MSS mission remains fully operational and progressing toward its objectives, officials said.
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