215 Kenyan police officers return home as tour of duty in Haiti ends

A contingent of 215 Kenyan police officers returned home on Tuesday evening as the country began a phased drawdown of its deployment to Haiti, marking the beginning of the end of a landmark but challenging international security mission.

The officers touched down at the Old Airport in Embakasi around midnight, where senior security officials and colleagues received them in a brief but emotional homecoming ceremony.

The returning officers are among those who have been stationed in Port-au-Prince, where they operated in one of the most volatile urban security environments in the world.

The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja and General Service Unit Commandant Ranson Lolmodooni were among those who disembarked from the Kenya Airways plane Tuesday night. The duo had flown to Haiti to accompany the officers whose tour of duty had ended, marking the start of Kenya’s official drawdown ahead of the April 15, 2026, deadline. 

The mission has now entered a transition phase, with more officers expected to return home gradually.

Kenya first sent police officers to Haiti in June 2024 following a United Nations Security Council resolution authorising the mission. The deployment, which eventually grew to several hundred officers, was aimed at stabilising a country grappling with widespread insecurity, political instability and humanitarian crisis.

During the course of the mission, Kenyan officers played a central role in securing key installations, reopening critical road networks and supporting the Haitian National Police through joint operations and training.

Speaking at Chatham House in London last week, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi confirmed that Kenya had formally concluded its role under the original mandate, describing the mission as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to global peace and security.

“Our participation was guided by human solidarity. I wish to inform that Kenya concluded its mandate following the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2793 (2025), which transitioned the MSS Mission to the GSF. To this end, I look forward to the final drawdown in the coming weeks and seamless transition to anchor the GSF take off in the pursuit of sustainable security for Haiti,” he said.

Read: Hard lessons for Kenya in Haiti’s tricky mission to suppress gangs 

The GSF, authorised by the UN in late 2025, is a 5,550-strong multinational unit guided by a Standing Group of Partners comprising the United States, Canada, Kenya, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Chad, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Unlike the MSS, which was largely structured as a stabilisation police operation, the new force is designed as a hybrid security formation blending policing, counter-insurgency and maritime enforcement capabilities.

“The process of transforming the MSS mission to the GSF mission is ongoing, and officers from various countries are still being deployed to join Kenyan and Haitian officers,” Mr Godfrey Otunge, who has been the MSS Commander, told the Nation in February.

The UN backed GSF, is expected to reach full deployment by October this year, according to Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez.
Speaking to the media after a meeting with U.S. embassy officials last week, Alvarez said troops from Chad are currently undergoing training in the United States, while Kenyan police deployed under an earlier arrangement will withdraw gradually.

“It will not be immediate but will give time for the new forces to arrive and familiarize themselves,” he said.

He added that deployments of the new contingent should begin in early April, with the force projected to reach its full strength of 5,500 personnel by October. 

Kenyan officers confirmed dead

UN officials had earlier indicated full deployment would be achieved by summer or autumn, ahead of the mission’s initial 12-month mandate set to expire at the end of September 2026.

The escalation from MSS to GSF became visible on the ground last month when several United States soldiers landed in Haiti aboard a military aircraft, signalling Washington’s deeper operational involvement.

Simultaneously, American warships moved to the Haitian coastline, creating a maritime security ring intended to cut off weapons smuggling routes that have fuelled gang expansion and fortified heavily armed militias.

Speaking during the reception ceremony of the officers, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo lauded the officers for their historic deployment, noting that they answered the call to serve with courage and professionalism.

“It is with great national pride and deep gratitude that we welcome you back home,” Dr Omollo said.

He also praised the contingent for their resilience and sacrifice while operating in a complex international security environment, noting that their contribution has enhanced Kenya’s reputation as a leader in peace support operations.

Haiti has been in the grip of escalating gang violence for years, with armed groups controlling large swathes of the capital and surrounding regions.

The crisis has led to mass displacement, kidnappings and thousands of deaths, placing immense pressure on the country’s fragile institutions.

Kenya’s involvement in the mission was widely seen as a bold step in foreign policy, marking the country’s first major peacekeeping deployment in the Caribbean.

However, the mission was not without cost. As of September 2025, three Kenyan police officers had been confirmed dead while serving under the Multinational Security Support mission.

Constable Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, aged 26, was killed during an ambush by armed gangs in the Ségur Savien area, one of the most volatile zones in Haiti.

Operational hazard

Another officer, Benedict Kabiru, was reported missing following a gang attack in the Artibonite Department on March 25, 2025, with authorities later confirming his death.

Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve died in a separate incident after a road accident involving armoured vehicles on the outskirts of Port au Prince. Their deaths, resulting from both direct combat and operational hazards, laid bare the high-risk nature of the mission.

“To the families who lost their loved ones, please know that the Government of Kenya will continue to stand with you,” PS Omollo said.

Despite the challenges, Kenyan authorities have maintained that the mission achieved significant gains, including preventing a potential collapse of Haiti’s government and improving security in key areas.

International partners, including the United States, have previously praised Kenyan officers for their role in stabilising the situation, even as concerns persisted over funding, logistics and the overall effectiveness of the mission.

In January, the US government honoured officers who served in the Mission with commendations for their role in averting an imminent collapse of Haiti with their timely security operations.

“I think there is no way that the very fragile government in Haiti could have withstood the onslaught of these gangs, but for your presence there. I say this with total conviction and honesty that that government would not have survived but for your presence there,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said during his visit to Kenya.

The UN is also keen on Haiti having its elections and returning to a democratic order of governance. In its latest resolution (Resolution 2814 2026), passed on January 29, the UNSC urged “all Haitian stakeholders to come to an agreement over the future governing structure,” while expressing “deep concern about the lack of progress” in achieving a political transition.  

The resolution also notes recent institutional steps, including the 2025 decree establishing specialised judicial bodies to address corruption, gang violence, and sexual crimes, reforms seen as essential to restoring the rule of law and political credibility. 

Despite these initiatives, ongoing insecurity, the weakness of Haitian institutions and political fragmentation continue to delay progress toward elections and constitutional governance.

At the opening of the year, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Haiti, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, who is based in the capital Port-au-Prince commended the “National Pact for Stability and the Organization of Elections in Haiti” terming it a “significant political act” which met Haitians priorities for “the restoration of security, the organization of credible elections and the re-establishment of democratic governance”.

Read: From Haiti danger to home: Police returnees reflect on their mission

The Pact seeks to establish an "impartial, technical, and effective" governance system to end the transition and facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to elected officials.

The return of the officers also brings back valuable operational experience, with senior police commanders noting that the skills acquired in Haiti will strengthen Kenya’s own security capabilities.

For Kenya, the Haiti mission will likely remain a defining chapter in its evolving role on the global stage, raising both praise and questions about the country’s expanding involvement in international security operations.

The drawdown is expected to continue in the coming weeks, with additional contingents scheduled to return as the transition to the new security framework in Haiti takes shape.

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