The Kenyan police in Haiti have faced challenges including financial constraints which have been highlighted as the one of the biggest impediments to the success of the mission so far.
According to International Crisis Group’s Haiti analyst Diego Da Rin, progress has been slow, partly due to financial issues.
Additionally, he stated that a UN fund is currently short of about $150 million from the estimated $589 million required for the first year’s operations, with only around $68 million available.
In a statement on September 4, Diego Da Rin confirmed the slow pace of the mission, which he noted was an impediment to meeting the deadline set by the transitional government.
Manpower and Equipment Shortage
Lack of manpower and equipment add to the challenges that have contributed to the slow progress of the mission.
Four officers who spoke with Reuters mentioned that their ability to stand against the gangs who are armed to the tooth has occasionally been put to test due to lack of requisite equipment.
Kenyan Police Deployed to Haiti
In October, last year the Multinational Security Support (MSS) was authorized by the UN Security Council despite the initial deployment facing delays that were caused by the legal disputes in Kenya, political instability in Haiti and challenges of raising funds.
Also Read: Kenyan Police Ask Haiti Gangs to Surrender
The first batch of 200 Kenyan police officers arrived at Port-au- Prince late June and were followed three weeks later by another band of the same size. The force is expected to have at least 2500 officers from different volunteer countries.
In addition, the US State Department confirmed that the US Air Force commenced the delivery of armored platforms and radio systems. However, some officers have complained of being deployed before the arrival of essential equipment.
To increase manpower, it is anticipated that the MSS will expand to 1000 personnel in line with Jamaica which has promised 200 personnel as it initiates its deployment.
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