Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga has renewed questions over Kenya’s controversial deployment of police officers to Haiti, demanding accountability and transparency over the mission, the officers’ welfare, payments and its overall impact on the Caribbean nation’s security situation.
In a post shared on X, Mutunga questioned what happened to the officers who were deployed to Haiti despite a previous High Court ruling declaring the planned deployment unconstitutional.
“What happened to the police officers who were unconstitutionally deployed to HAITI? What was the situation there? Did their presence make the situation worse? Did they all come back home? How much money were they paid? We need accountability and transparency,” Mutunga wrote.
The deployment began in June 2024 after Kenya agreed to lead the United Nations-authorised Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, which was established to assist Haiti’s National Police in confronting heavily armed criminal gangs and restoring security.
However, the mission faced legal challenges in Kenya after the High Court ruled in January 2024 that the proposed deployment was unlawful, citing the absence of a reciprocal security arrangement between Kenya and Haiti and questions surrounding the authority to deploy the National Police Service abroad.
Despite the controversy, the government proceeded with the deployment after pursuing a bilateral security arrangement with Haiti. The first contingent of 199 Kenyan officers arrived in Port-au-Prince on June 25, 2024. AP News +2
The Kenyan-led intervention was intended to help dismantle criminal gangs that had taken control of large parts of Haiti, particularly the capital, Port-au-Prince.
However, the mission faced significant operational challenges, including inadequate equipment, funding shortages and insufficient personnel.
A September 2024 Reuters investigation reported that Kenyan officers complained about delayed allowances, inadequate equipment and difficulties confronting heavily armed gangs.
The officers also questioned why they had been deployed before the necessary operational resources were available.
By June 2025, a report by the United States Congressional Research Service indicated that Haiti’s security situation had continued deteriorating despite the deployment, with 1,617 people killed between January and March 2025 alone.
Human Rights Watch subsequently reported that criminal gangs controlled approximately 90 per cent of Port-au-Prince and its metropolitan area, demonstrating the scale of the security crisis.
While the mission helped Haitian police regain access to some areas and critical infrastructure, the United Nations acknowledged that chronic underfunding, inadequate personnel and limited operational capacity prevented it from containing gang violence effectively.
There is, however, no established evidence that the Kenyan officers’ presence itself worsened the overall security situation. The available reports point to a complex crisis involving criminal gangs, political instability and weaknesses in Haiti’s security institutions.
Kenya officially concluded its deployment in April 2026, with the final contingent of 150 National Police Service officers returning home on April 28.
According to the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, a total of approximately 730 Kenyan officers served in Haiti throughout the mission.
The deployment, which lasted nearly 22 months, ended as the international security arrangement transitioned from the Multinational Security Support mission to the new Gang Suppression Force.
The mission also came at a cost to Kenya, with three Kenyan officers reported to have died while serving in Haiti.
The financial arrangements surrounding the deployment have also attracted questions.
Reports indicate that Kenyan officers were expected to receive foreign deployment allowances estimated at between $1,500 and $2,000 (approximately KSh200,000 to KSh260,000) monthly, in addition to their regular National Police Service salaries.
However, Reuters reported in September 2024 that some officers experienced delayed payments, with some receiving approximately $750 instead of the expected $1,500 monthly bonus.
These reports raise questions about the total expenditure on the mission, the allowances paid to individual officers, the funding received from international partners and how the money was accounted for.
An independently verified consolidated figure showing the total amount paid to all 730 officers throughout the deployment has not been established from the available public reporting.
Mutunga’s intervention therefore brings renewed attention to the need for the government to publish a comprehensive account of the mission, including its legal foundation, financial expenditure, operational achievements, casualties and the welfare of officers who served abroad.
