Kenya’s growing role on the world stage as a leader in peacekeeping is facing early challenges, as the government grapples with the slow rollout of its police deployment to Haiti.
Seen as a bold move to position itself as a key player in global security efforts, Kenya had pledged 2,500 officers to lead the United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti. However, as of this week, only 900 officers just 36 percent of the approved force have been deployed.
“While there are some gains made since the arrival of our contingent, there are numerous challenges, including a low number of deployments which is now about 36 per cent of the approved number of 2,500,” Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi admitted in an official statement on Tuesday.
Authorized by the UN Security Council in October 2023, the MSS mission aims to stabilize Haiti amid spiraling gang violence and political chaos. Kenya’s willingness to lead the mission was hailed internationally as a demonstration of African solidarity and a new era of leadership from the continent.
Since the initial deployment, Kenyan police have been actively involved in efforts to restore peace, but logistical constraints, internal resource strains, and coordination challenges appear to be slowing the full rollout.
Despite these hurdles, Kenya remains committed to the mission and is urging the global community to step up its backing. “While there are some gains made since the arrival of our contingent,” Mudavadi noted, “Kenya has called for further support from the United Nations (UN) to enable it to meet the mission’s agenda.”
