Notwithstanding a legal challenge to the deployment, a Kenyan force to command a multinational mission backed by the UN to combat gang violence in Haiti left Nairobi late on Monday, according to Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki.
Along with troops from several other countries, Kenya pledged to send 1,000 police to help stabilize Haiti, but the deployment has been beset by ongoing legal issues.
At 10:50 p.m. (1950 GMT), 400 officers departed Nairobi on Kenya Airways, the national airline, headed for Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
“Honoured to see off the first batch of the contingent of the National Police Service officers who are part of the historic United Nations Mission to Haiti,” Kindiki said in a statement, accompanied by images of the officers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Elite personnel from the Kenya Police, Administration Police, General Service Unit, and Rapid Deployment Unit compose the squad.
Hours before the deployment, on Monday, President William Ruto, an ardent advocate of the mission, said a formal farewell to the officers.
The video footage released by the presidency shows that Ruto prayed for the officers and presented them a Kenyan national flag during a ceremony in Nairobi to which the media was not allowed.
According to statements released by his office, Ruto told the officers, “This mission is one of the most urgent, important, and historic in the history of global solidarity.”
“Your presence in Haiti will bring hope and relief to communities torn apart by violence and ravaged by disorder,” he said, adding that the rest of the force will join their colleagues “soon”.
A resolution passed by the UN Security Council in October authorized the deployment; however, a court ruling in Kenya in January prompted a delay.
According to the court, Ruto’s government lacked the right to dispatch officers overseas without first reaching a bilateral agreement.
Even though the government was able to secure that deal with Haiti in March, Thirdway Alliance Kenya, a small opposition group, attempted to thwart it once more by filing a new lawsuit.
Funding and logistical support are being provided by the United States, which has been actively looking for a country to spearhead the mission.
