Kenyan police face ridicule, skepticism as pressure mounts

On June 25, the first batch of 200 elite Kenyan police officers arrived in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. They stepped off the Kenya Airways flight with confidence Wearing helmets, combat gear, carrying weapons and holding high the Kenyan flag.

They chanted in Swahili They cheer themselves up On the airport tarmac, The same is true for the second batch Three weeks later, 200 Kenyan officers arrived.

They shouted, “Let’s go!” “We’re leaving!”

Hopes are high that Kenyan police will provide much-needed muscle to the beleaguered Haitian National Police (PNH) as they struggle to stem a deadly offensive by Haitian criminal gangs that have terrorized the capital and large swathes of the country for more than three years.

Kenyans form the advance core of the UN-mandated multinational force working to restore peace in Haiti.

They were initially welcomed and entertained by Haitian government leaders and the Haitian media.

Radio Independante FM was released on X A welcome speech in the country’s Creole language For Kenyans, say:

“Haiti is the motherland of all Africans. Because you are black, Haiti is your home… You Kenyan soldiers should feel at home and be welcomed to help fight the thugs (gangs) that are hindering our lives in our own country.”

Yet weeks into the much-anticipated deployment, which had been delayed by legal challenges in Kenya and logistical hurdles, many Haitians appear frustrated and disillusioned that the troops and their Haitian police colleagues have not acted more quickly and decisively against the gangs, their leaders and their known hideouts.

Frustrated comments expressing impatience and disappointment are growing in Haitian media and social media circles.

People have called for “actions to speak louder than words” and for “delivering concrete results”.

Some of the sharpest critics accused Kenyans of “acting” and Just a “tourist”.

Critics point out that although Kenyan and Haitian police hold high-profile joint patrol in Port-au-Prince They have Exchange of fire with suspected gang members – Since the Kenya mission began, the gangs appear to have only strengthened their control over the southwestern and northeastern suburbs of the capital.

Criminal gangs attacked, burned or partially destroyed police stations and continued to carry out looting on major highways in the capital and inland.

Some believe the Kenyan military has been too slow to make its presence felt.

“What are Kenyans waiting for, come and deal with the bandits?” Local news outlet AyiboPost raised this question in an article published on July 11 in Xtwo weeks after the East Africans landed.

About two weeks later, the online news site Le Filet Info commented pointedly: “The Kenyan police presence in the country has failed to deter the gangsters.

“They continue to massacre civilians.”

Kenyan troops have suffered their first casualties since arriving in Haiti.

On July 30, a Kenyan policeman was shot in the shoulder during a shootout with gang members in Port-au-Prince.

On the same day, Haitian police chief Rameau Normil, accompanied by Kenyan police force commander Godfrey Otunge, appeared to try to counter unfavorable comments in the local media when he announced that Haitian and Kenyan police had killed more than 100 “gangsters” in operations since mid-July following the declaration of a state of emergency in the most gang-infested areas.

But the statements failed to quell public skepticism.

Videos posted online showing them being escorted by senior Haitian government officials and Kenyan and Haitian police did little to bolster confidence. On July 29, they retreated hastily amid heavy gunfire.who had just visited an abandoned general hospital in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Both Haitian and Kenyan police said the facility was firmly under their control.

Despite such criticism, Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Gary Corneille Tell BBC HARDtalk He welcomed the support given that Haiti’s police force is severely understaffed.

He admitted: “We do need help…but it is coming too slowly and Haitians are growing impatient.”

The prime minister also dismissed those who questioned Kenya’s police deployment as being too harsh in its handling of recent anti-government unrest in the country.

“Our laws and operational procedures have been well respected and we are very happy with the cooperation we have received,” he said, stressing that the role of Kenyans is to support and cooperate with the police and not act independently.

Despite this, the Kenyans faced open resistance from Haitian gang leaders.

Just days after the first Kenyans arrived, Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, the outspoken leader of the gang alliance “Viv Ansanm” (Live Together), appeared in a nearly eight-minute provocative video posted on X .

He led his masked infantry through Delmas Point 6, stalking with their heads held high, automatic weapons raised, and doing a war dance.

“This is Kenya (Kenyans), bullets (give them)”, At one point they shouted in Creole.

Other gang leaders, including 400 Mawozo gang leader Wilson “Lanmo Sanjou” Joseph and young gang leader Ti Bebe Bougoy, were also arrested. Appeared in video taunting Haitian authorities and Kenyanswhile the gangs continue to brag about their attacks.

In mid-July, the Kenyan contingent of the multinational force launched Their own X account, @MSSMHaitiattempting to set the tone for the public narrative of their mission in Haiti.

The channel provides daily coverage of the Kenyans’ activities, including hosting visiting dignitaries at the base, teaching human rights classes, and upbeat reports of “comfort” patrols on the streets of Port-au-Prince.

But @MSSMHaiti is unwaveringly optimistic, especially Mention of “significant success” and a “gradual return to normalcy” seem to have angered many Haitians.

Some Haitians denounced the Kenyan reports, calling them exaggerations at best and “propaganda” at worst.