At least 200 Kenyan police officers will be deployed to Haiti next week for a UN Security Council-backed security mission in Port-au-Prince.

In July 2023, Kenya agreed to spearhead the expedition and deploy 1,000 troops to restore order in the distressed Caribbean nation plagued by criminal gangs.

PHOTO | COURTESY Kenyan Military

According to the Nation newspaper, the officers, picked from the elite Recce squad, Rapid Deployment Force, and Special Operations Group, would arrive in Port-au-Prince around May 23 or 24, coinciding with President William Ruto's formal visit to the United States.

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The US government has given $100 million (Ksh.13 billion) to help the operation in Haiti, asking other countries to follow suit.

In March, Kenya and Haiti signed an agreement that allowed Kenyan Police to assist in the international peacekeeping mission.

PHOTO | COURTESY A woman in agony as violence in Haiti escalates

The agreement's signing, witnessed by Ruto and then-Prime Minister Henri, was a critical step towards deploying Kenyan troops in Port-au-Prince.

Kenya subsequently applauded the swearing-in of the Haiti Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), entrusted with reestablishing key Haitian government organs crucial to restoring law and order in Port-au-Prince.

PHOTO | COURTESY Residents fleeing violence

On April 25, the 9-member council formally took control, formalizing Henry's resignation as Prime Minister.

Michel Patrick Boisvert, Henry's finance minister, will serve as interim prime minister until the transition committee picks a new leader, forms a government, and installs