How USA will help Kenyan police officers once they are deployed to Haiti
Details of how the United States of America (USA) and Kenya will work together as the latter plans to send its officers to tackle criminal activities in Haiti can now be revealed.
The US has said it will provide motor vehicles and helicopters for the officers to use while in Haiti. It will also provide food and take care of all logistical issues while the Kenyan officers are in the Caribbean nation.
Nairobi News has established that the officers will be wearing the General Service Unit (GSU) uniform while in Haiti.
The officers, who will number 1000, will be drawn from the GSU, Rapid Deployment Unit, Anti Stock Theft Unit and Border Patrol Unit to form a larger team for the mission.
They will work alongside other officers from other countries who will be going to Haiti. Countries that will also be sending officers to Haiti include Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria and Mauritius.
The Kenyan team will be given firearms (AK47) and will have a large supply of bullets while in Haiti.
A team of senior officials from the Haitian National Police has been in the country since last week.
The team, led by the Director General of the Haitian National Police, Mr Frantz Elbe, met with the Inspector General of Police, Mr Japheth Koome, on Wednesday December 13th.
Mr Koome said in a statement that the team, which left the country on Friday December 15, 2023, discussed security matters and how Kenya will help restore order in the Caribbean.
“The Haitian police chief, who is leading the delegation, is on a three-day official visit to Kenya for bilateral security talks between the two law enforcement agencies,” the police chief said.
Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow also attended the meeting. A day later, the team also met with Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin.
On December 5, a delegation from Kenya, accompanied by US officials, met with Dr Ariel Henry, Prime Minister of the Caribbean nation. The team left Kenya on 2 December.
The visit was the third by a Kenyan delegation to Haiti. The first was in September and the second in October.