New contingent of Kenyan police joins UN-backed mission to fight gangs in Haiti A fourth contingent of Kenyan police arrived Thursday in Haiti to help repel violent gangs as officials brushed off concerns over a halt in some U.S. funding to the U.N.-backed mission.
“We are reaching close to our full strength so the mission can start giving results,” Godfrey Otunge, the mission’s force commander, said as he greeted the new officers at Haiti's main international airport, which remains closed to commercial flights because of ongoing gang violence.
The U.S. State Department said it approved waivers for $40.7 million in foreign assistance to help the mission and Haitian police, including contracts to support forward operating bases, medical services and vehicle maintenance.
The 200 police officers from the East African country join more than 600 other Kenyans already working alongside Haiti’s National Police as part of a multinational force boosted by soldiers and police deployed by countries including Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Earlier, Rubio spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to thank him for his country's leadership of the mission in Haiti, which remains fully operational, and Kenya’s role in promoting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
