A Kenya police officer who is part of a contingent of National Police Service (NPS) officers deployed in Haiti for a peace-keeping mission had a light moment with Haitians.
The Kenyan officer was captured in a video engaging with Haitian journalists outside the US Embassy in Haiti’s capital Port-Au-Prince, who asked him about his take on Haitian girls.
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Having conducted a reverse search of the video which has since gone viral, The Kenya Times traced it to Haitian news company Tande Koze which uploaded it on video streaming platform You Tube.
The news company uploaded the video on July 5, 2024, captioning it in Haitian Creole which translates to “The Kenyans landed at the US Embassy to secure that area, here’s how it is”.
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In the video seen by The Kenya Times, the heavily armed officer was seen engaging and answering questions asked by the journalists who were recording him at the moment.
Also Read: Questions as Photos Show Kenyan Police Guarding US Embassy in Haiti
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The officer was in the company of other law enforcers who were patrolling and keeping guard outside the Embassy.
Kenyan Officer asked about Haitian Girls
He answered a couple of questions posed to him, including his experience since landing in the Caribbean country and what the mission aims to achieve.
Additionally, the cop had a light moment with the journalists as they asked him what he thought about girls from the country, while also asking him to translate Swahili words.
The officer, however, maintained that he was not after girls saying that his sole purpose and focus was on the mission.
“Do you love Haitian girls?” a journalist asks, with the Kenyan cop replying, “No, I’m not here for girls my friend, you are losing your track”.
Further, the journalists asked him what “nakupenda” translates to in English, with the officer politely replying, “I love you”.
Also Read: Haiti Mission: Role Pastors Will Play Revealed Ahead of Kenya Police Deployment
When asked if he was afraid of fighting, he said that he wasn’t afraid of the gangs, but maintained that the contingent was there to maintain peace and not necessarily to fight.
“Are you ready to give Haitian people security?” he’s asked, which he replies “Yeah, we are ready we are here to bring peace of course not to fight.”
The officer was further asked about his general thoughts concerning the country, which he responded that it was not bad.
However, when asked to delve more into the mission, he evaded the question and said no comment.
Kenya police Guard US Embassy in Haiti
The engagement comes at a time Kenyans have been raising questions over the deployment of the officers in the troubled Carribean nation after they were pictured guarding the US Embassy.
Photos published by the Associated Press (AP) showed armed Kenya police officers outside the US Embassy premises in Port-Au-Prince.
A section of Kenyans online while questioning the role of the officers in the Caribbean nation pointed out that it is unjustified for the officers to protect a facility belonging to the US.
The first contingent of 400 Kenyan police arrived in the Haitian capital on Tuesday, June 25 following a delayed deployment.
Kenya volunteered to lead an international force to tackle gang violence in the Carribean nation where gangs control most of the capital Port-au-Prince.
The deployment move was authorized by President William Ruto following the approval of the United Nations Security Council in October 2023.
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