State moves to sign pacts on medical evacuation, territorial access for Kenyan police officers in Haiti

The Kenyan Government is formalising a framework with the Dominican Republic to enable swift medical evacuation, repatriation of the wounded and deceased, of nearly 800 Kenyan police officers deployed to the Caribbean nation under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who has been on an official visit to the United States, is expected in the Dominican Republic capital, Santo Domingo, between May 11 and 13 to hold talks with the country’s leadership and sign a set of key agreements.

“In Santo Domingo, Mudavadi will sign MOUs on medical evacuation, repatriation of wounded and deceased persons, access to Dominican territory for Kenyan members of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti,” read a statement from his office.

The deal comes at a time when the Kenya-led MSS mission is grappling with a deteriorating security situation in Haiti, where heavily armed gangs continue to assert control over major parts of the country, including the capital, Port-au-Prince.

At least one Kenyan officer has died, one other is missing, and several others have been injured since the deployment, which has entered its second year. In April, officers told Reuters that two members of the unit had sustained serious injuries during an ambush.

The injured officers cited equipment failures as a major vulnerability, noting that standard-issue protective gear and armoured vehicles had not withstood the force of gunfire.

They added that at least 20 armoured vehicles had been grounded during that period due to mechanical issues.

Meanwhile, armed gangs have been expanding their reach beyond Port-au-Prince towards the Centre and Artibonite Departments, displacing around 64,000 from those areas, according to United Nations estimates.

Humanitarian efforts to reach displaced communities have also been disrupted by regional insecurity and funding shortages.

“What we’re seeing on the ground is unimaginable. Communities are being displaced daily, and the images of women and children fleeing for their lives with nothing are heartbreaking,” UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) Haiti director Wanja Kaaria said.

The Haiti mission has received backing from both the United Nations and the United States. While in Washington DC, Mudavadi held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reaffirmed America’s support for Kenya’s leadership of the MSS.

“The United States remains committed to supporting Kenya’s leadership in the Haiti MSS and other initiatives that promote regional stability and democratic governance,” the US State Department said in a statement.

Beyond the security-focused pacts, Kenya will also sign an academic cooperation agreement between the Dominican Republic’s Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training and Kenya’s Foreign Service Academy, further strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.

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