The government has dismissed reports suggesting it is planning to train Haitian police officers in Kenya ahead of the launch of the multinational security support (MSS) mission. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi clarified that there are no existing arrangements for such training under the current United Nations framework for deployment.
“We have not reached that level at all, and if they are going to be trained, we will make it public the way we have made the mission public,” Mudavadi stated. “We would not hide anything whatsoever; it would not be a secret.”
Mudavadi was addressing questions regarding alleged plans to train approximately 2,000 Haitian officers in Kenya prior to the mission’s launch. These reports emerged following the return of a reconnaissance team from the Caribbean nation.
Sources had suggested that the officers were to be flown to Kenya for training in law enforcement, combat, and other policing matters before being deployed back to Haiti. A highly placed source told the Star, “The training of the police officers is part of what we have agreed. It will be cheaper and easier to train them in Kenya for, say, two weeks or more before they are deployed in Haiti.”
According to these reports, the officers were expected to start arriving before the end of May, but logistical issues have caused delays.
Kenya, leading the 2,500-member security force, has agreed with the Haitian government on the rules of engagement for the security personnel, who could face fierce resistance from well-armed gangs that have taken control of Haiti’s capital and overwhelmed local police.
Mudavadi emphasized that the MSS team is guided by security deployment regulations and UN parameters. “How they will operate, engage, or behave, they are being guided by the principles and standards that they must adhere to,” he said.
