Kenya has once again demonstrated its commitment to international peacekeeping missions with the deployment of its fourth contingent of National Police Service (NPS) officers to the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) in Haiti.
The officers were formally dispatched on Thursday by Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Addressing the 144 police officers comprising 120 men and 24 women at JKIA, CS Murkomen noted that the United Nations is in full support of the MSS mission.
“Kenya’s leadership in this noble mission, which is supported by the UN Trust Fund for Haiti established under the UN Security Council Resolution 2699, is in recognition of our long-standing contribution to peacekeeping missions and peace support operations.” CS Murkomen said.
Adding that: “We’re constantly in touch with the UN and countries supporting this mission including the USA whose support in equipment and funding has been invaluable and unwavering.”
The CS expressed confidence in the officers’ capability to deliver on their mandate of securing the Haitian state.
On his part, the Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, Dr. Raymond Omollo, encouraged the officers, affirming that the mission is not impossible.
He noted that those who had gone ahead had already demonstrated the service’s capability and what Kenya has to offer urging the officers to follow through and give their best, not just for the country but for humanity as a whole.
Similarly, the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, stated that the additional officers will continue working closely with the Haitian National Police and other MSSM teams.
The elite officers, drawn from various NPS formations and units, will join the first three contingents deployed last year and earlier this year in the Kenyan-led Haiti MSS. The mission currently includes officers from Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Bahamas, and Belize.
The 144 officers will bolster the 600 officers deployed earlier who have already made commendable progress in reducing gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
Also present during the flag-off event were the PS for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Dr. Korir Sing’oei, National Security Advisor Amb. Dr. Monica Juma, Consul-General to Haiti, Noor Gabow, Deputy NSA and former IG, Joseph Boinnet, KQ Chief Operating Officer Kamal George and other senior NPS officers.
