Kenya’s gallant officers in Haiti rejuvenate my patriotism

Listening to our President engage in a hearty conversation with upbeat Kenyan police in Haiti under the command of Mr Geoffrey Otunge Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police, I remembered our country's many sons and daughters who have hoisted our flag in far-flung parts of the world in pursuit of global peace and security. This reminded me why I have always been proud to be Kenyan. Our unwavering support for Haitians is a befitting example of choosing hope over pessimism and fear.

In the sweltering heat, with temperatures as high as 38 degrees centigrade, President William Ruto’s plane touched down at Toussaint Louverture International Airport, the Haitian International Airport in its capital, Port-au-Prince. He had begun his seven-hour flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York early in the morning and had not even taken a rest after a 15-hour flight from Nairobi.

It is worth noting that a few months ago, no private plane would land at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport because of the violence by heavily armed gangs which has led to the deaths of thousands of people in the city of Port-au-Prince, as well as in other parts of the country. Human security and dignity deteriorated leading to violence, displacement, and death.

Encouragingly, the deployment of a modest 410 members of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti including 383 Kenyan police officers, 25 from Jamaica, and two from Belize Police, had secured the airport.

I am happy to note that within 100 days of their deployment, and working alongside the Haiti National Police (HNP), the Mission has made demonstrable progress in securing critical infrastructure including the international airport and its surroundings, the national hospital, and the main seaport in Port-au-Prince.

As a result, there has been an increase in economic activities and improvement in the movement of people and essential commodities. The joint patrols across Port-au-Prince have fortified civilian protection and cleared illegal roadblocks thus opening roads to facilitate easier flow of humanitarian assistance.

I am proud that the Kenyan-led MSS Mission has exhibited the highest standards of transparency and professional conduct with no single case of indiscipline reported.

My visit to Haiti with our Commander-in-Chief took me down memory lane of how our beloved disciplined forces have risked their lives to bring peace to the global citizens in different countries. Today, we are the only country in the Global South to stand with our brothers and sisters in Haiti. 

I feel proud, as a Kenyan citizen and a leader, that our country has been among the world’s leading Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) having deployed over 55,000 peacekeepers in over 40 countries globally. Motivated by Pan-Africanism, Kenya has not been indifferent towards crises in Africa.

To name a few, we were in Somalia, South Sudan, Namibia, Croatia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the DRC, restoring dignity and security to those who have suffered at the hands of war. Likewise, our history of peace missions includes peacekeeping deployments in East Timor, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

Our disciplined forces have constantly concluded their missions with their shoulders high.

In Haiti, the Mission operations are guided by key documents including the Concept of Operations and Status Protection Agreement, and in compliance with the UN Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP).

The 410 gallant officers have demonstrated that this is a Mission Possible. But there is only so much that 410 out of an envisaged 2,500 police officers can accomplish. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to increase boots on the ground hence we encourage all the countries that have pledged personnel, to move with speed, and join Kenya, Jamaica, and Belize. 

In Kenya, an additional 600 officers are at the tail end month of their pre-deployment training, out of which 300 are to be deployed within a month. 

I am delighted to note that the MSS Mission in Haiti has garnered worldwide support and thus underpins the significance of global peace and security under the principles of collective security. The Haitian people's suffering has attracted collective consciousness.

In the UN meetings on the sidelines of the United General Assembly, President Ruto was lauded by his peers for his act of valour as well as kindness to the people officer in aid of Haiti. Even in Haiti, the transition government gave him a standing ovation.

As it is said, “a threat in one part of the world should be treated as a threat to the world, and therefore, we should collectively respond to such threats.”

It is encouraging that the UN Security Council extended the MSS Mission mandate by a year because Haiti still needs the full deployment of the 2,500 personnel to achieve its mandate.

Moving forward, there is a need for the Mission to be well-resourced with the necessary equipment, including air and maritime capabilities to help optimize its mandate.

Members need to increase the contributions to the UN Trust Fund which has become the main funding stream for the Mission because the donations thus far received cannot sustainably support even the 410 officers, not to mention the yet-to-be-deployed personnel. 

While the MSS Mission is a critical and innovative intervention, it is only a part of the solution. I reiterate that we do not intend to impose governance in Haiti but to preserve peace and create an environment for democracy to flourish in a unique Haitian context.

Undoubtedly, the presence of the Kenyan mission in Haiti has given hope to our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean country. I applaud our President, His Excellency William Ruto for consistently supporting, monitoring, and listening to our gallant patriots in Haiti’s Security Mission.

As we write our Foreign Policy to be completed before the end of the year, the Kenya Peace Keeping Mission will attract a chapter.

In the words of Martin Luther King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” The enduring agony of Haitians must come to an end.

 The writer is the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs