President William Ruto has expressed gratitude to the United States for its support of the Kenyan-led Multilateral Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti. However, he criticized the U.S. for providing second-hand vehicles, which he stated frequently broke down and placed personnel in danger.
“I must commend the United States; they did make available logistics and vehicles. But unfortunately, most of the vehicles were second-hand, and therefore, they broke down many times. In fact, it put our personnel in great danger when they broke down in very dangerous places,” Ruto remarked during a high-level meeting on Haiti at the United Nations headquarters in New York, coinciding with the 80th General Assembly.
The president’s comments come in the wake of a tragic incident on August 31, 2025, where a Kenyan police officer lost his life in a road accident on the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road. According to MSS spokesperson Jack Ombaka, the officers were involved in a recovery operation with two MaxxPro armored vehicles when one developed mechanical issues while towing the other. The accident also resulted in the death of a civilian and injuries to eight other Kenyan police officers.
Ruto lamented the lack of meaningful support from other sources, while praising the cooperation between the Haitian government and police leadership with the MSS. He highlighted the partnership’s successes, which included driving gangs away from the airport and port, reopening major roads, and restoring police facilities and educational institutions.
Despite these achievements, Ruto noted that the MSS has been operating at only 40 percent of its intended capacity, falling short of the planned 2,500 personnel and lacking essential support such as armored carriers. “Even under these constraints, the gangs, cowards by nature, have retreated when confronted,” he stated.
With the MSS mandate set to expire in 11 days, Ruto urged the UN Security Council, particularly its permanent members, to ensure a responsible transition to a successor mission. He cautioned that without a clear mandate, predictable resources, and reliable logistical support, the progress made could easily be undone.
“Haitians are part of our shared humanity and deserve the same security and dignity as any other people,” Ruto emphasized, pledging Kenya’s commitment to support the transition and continue aiding Haiti in its pursuit of lasting peace.
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