Nearly 20 Kenya Police Officers, Including Unit Commander, Resign From Haiti Mission

Close to 20 of the roughly 400 Kenyan police officers serving in Haiti have submitted letters of resignation from the mission over the past two months because of pay delays and poor conditions.

This is according to three officers who spoke to Reuters. The 20 officers have however received no response to their letters and continue to serve on the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission which has been backed by the United Nations (UN) and tasked with battling marauding gangs in Haiti.

The new report comes hours after it emerged that the highly publicised mission is being hit by uncertainty among police officers.

The officers who requested anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media, revealed that their colleagues began to submit letters of resignation in October after trying to resign verbally and being told to put their requests in writing.

Three officers submitted resignation letters in October and another 15 or so in November. Among them were at least five senior officers, including a unit commander, who was the first to submit a letter in October.

Money issues have become a constant issue affecting the mission that has received Ksh38 billion in support from the United States. This funding includes $200 million (about Ksh25.9 billion) announced in October 2023 and an additional $100 million (about Ksh12.9 billion) committed in March 2024.

On Thursday, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja refuted the allegations of pay delays, stating that the officers had already been paid their wages in full "up to the end of October."

He added that the situation in Haiti had immensely improved on the back of the government’s efforts to resolve most of the challenges facing the police contingent. “The officers on the ground are doing quite well,” Kanja assured.

However, the officers told Reuters that they were last paid in September, disputing Kanja's remarks.

Gang violence that has killed thousands across Haiti over the past two years has worsened recently, with armed groups spreading last month into some of the last parts of the capital Port-au-Prince that were not already under their control. 

One officer lamented that he had not been prepared for what he encountered in Haiti and lacked adequate ammunition to counter the gangs, who have stepped up attacks on Kenyan police positions.

The mission has faced morale issues nearly from the start. Four officers told the international publication in September that they faced delays in receiving their pay and shortages of equipment and manpower. 

The administration of United States (US) President Joe Biden has provided the vast majority of the funding for the mission and has been pushing to convert it into a U.N. peacekeeping force, which could shore up and diversify its funding.

However, China and Russia have voiced opposition, arguing for the MSS mission to be given more time to establish peace before sending in a peacekeeping mission.

Haiti suffered a fresh blow to political stability last month when its national transitional council pushed out the prime minister it had appointed six months earlier and named a new one, Alix Didier Fils-Aime.

President William Ruto has remained a key supporter of the mission that faced opposition locally, with court cases filed to stop the deployment. However, the government went ahead to send 400 officers, with another contingent of 600 more expected to join them.

Since their deployment in June, the officers have managed to plough back some territories from the gangs, but since November, gangs have renewed their onslaught. The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the Kenyan-led mission for another year.