RUTO recalls police officers from leave as he readies to deploy them to Haiti in less than 2 weeks – Look!

Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Hundreds of Kenyan police officers scheduled to fly to Haiti for the peacekeeping mission were recalled from leave this week in preparation for the trip.

According to reports, the officers, who underwent intense training before proceeding on leave, are expected to fly out of the country before the end of May.

It is estimated that the first batch of deployment will consist of 500 police officers, 400 security personnel, and 100 members of staff such as medics, with the next batch expected to join them at a later date.

The officers were selected from hundreds of police officers who made applications to be deployed to Haiti during the October 2023 recruitment drive.

The report further indicated that the officers had undergone intense training from security entities drawn from Kenya as well as the United States of America.

The officers were reportedly trained on Haiti gangs, the Caribbean country's history as well as human rights. They also took French lessons.

Earlier Haiti gang leader Jimmy Chérizier alias Barbecue boasted to the press that his gang was ready to defeat the police officers if they travel to the country.

He argued that the Kenyan police officers would encounter fierce resistance during a radio interview with United States-based National Public Radio (NPR).

"If the Haitian revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines worried about his life, Haiti wouldn't be free today," he stated.

The United States, which is financing the peace mission, sent foot soldiers to the ground who have begun setting up a camp to host the Kenyan police force.

Kenya will produce a team of 1,000 police officers to lead a mission of 2,500 soldiers drawn from six other countries.

The Kenyan DAILY POST