---
title: "More Kenyan police arrive in Haiti to boost security mission"
description: "NAIROBI, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A contingent of 144 additional Kenyan police arrived in the Haitian capital on Thursday, part of a U.N.-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission that aims to support local police battling powerful gangs, Kenya's government announced on X."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-06-more-kenyan-police-arrive-in-haiti-to-boost-security-mission/"
published: "2025-02-06T21:09:12"
updated: "2025-02-06T21:09:13"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 153
---

# More Kenyan police arrive in Haiti to boost security mission

> NAIROBI, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A contingent of 144 additional Kenyan police arrived in the Haitian capital on Thursday, part of a U.N.-backed Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission that aims to support local police battling powerful gangs, Kenya's government announced on X.

By Reuters · Published 6 February 2025, 23:09 SAST · Updated 6 February 2025, 23:09 SAST

## Key points
- In a twist of diplomatic irony, Kenyan President William Ruto praised a U.S. funding exemption while Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is overrun by gangs armed with American-sourced weaponry, proving that sometimes aid can be a double-edged sword—or in this case, a loaded gun.
- Kenyan President William Ruto commended U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for exempting MSS funding from a broader freeze on U.S. assistance.
- Violent gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, have formed a coalition, seizing control of the city and expanding their influence.
- The UN highlighted over $13 million in U.S. funding for Haiti's security forces was frozen due to a 90-day foreign aid pause initiated by former President Trump.
- The MSS mission, while endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, is struggling to restore order in Haiti and relies on voluntary contributions.

## Content

Kenyan President William Ruto wrote on X that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and praised what he described as the specific exemption to MSS funding from a broader freeze on U.S. government assistance.

Violent gangs, armed with weapons largely trafficked from the United States, have united in the Caribbean country's capital Port-au-Prince under a common alliance and now control most of the city. They have also been expanding their control to nearby areas.

Earlier this week, the United Nations warned that over [$13 million in U.S. funding](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3OW08C&linkedFromStory=true) for the security force had been frozen under President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on foreign aid.

The MSS mission, while backed by the U.N. Security Council, is not a United Nations operation and currently relies on voluntary contributions. The mission has so far made little progress toward helping Haiti restore order.

(Reporting by Hereward Holland in Nairobi; Editing by David Alire Garcia)