Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said that the Kenya – led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) in Haiti has been a success notwithstanding the opposition the government faced during the deployment of the forces.
Murkomen said that despite the criticism that the government faced during the initiation of the mission, the Kenyan police officers in Haiti have been able to contain criminal gangs and restore order in the city.
Speaking after a security meeting in Garissa, where he was joined by top police bosses including Inspector General of Police Douglus Kanja, DIG – Administration police Gilbert Masengeli and the director of criminal investigations Mohamed Amin, the CS said that although some people said many officers would be killed in the mission, it has not been so.
“Officers have secured critical infrastructures in Haiti, they have secured the airports, police headquarters, and communication masts and for the first time the Haitian children did their national examinations successfully,” Murkomen said.
“This is just a small portion of the 2,500 forces that were promised with Kenya contributing over 700 police officers. With greater support, the promises that were made by the development partners and friends, we will be able to secure the whole country,” he added.
The Interior CS said that President William Ruto, who is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) would be seeking more support for the Haiti mission post expiry of their mission mandate.
At the same time, the CS regretted the loss of three police officers in the mission, including Benedict Kabiru, who went missing on March 25, 2025 during an ambush along the Carrefour Paye-Savien, the main supply route in the Pont-Sondé area of the Artibonite Department.
Murkomen said that the family of the late officer has already been informed and the IG would share more details to the public in due course.
“Unfortunately, in the mission we lost three of our officers, one of whom is Benedict Kabiru who lost his life under unfortunate circumstances that were actually not directly related to the shooting by gangs, I think it was in the case of protecting colleagues and the whole report is going to be made public by the Inspector General of Police,” he said
Kenya deployed officers to Haiti in 2024 to lead an international mission aimed at restoring stability in the gang-ravaged Caribbean nation.
by Erick Kyalo
