It’s official. The last Kenyan officers have left Haiti, closing a chapter that many hoped would bring lasting peace to the troubled Caribbean nation. On March 24, a plane carrying 208 police and military personnel landed in Nairobi. They were the final group to return from a mission that started with high hopes back in 2024.
In total, 653 Kenyan officers served in Haiti under a UN-backed multinational force. Their job was simple on paper but incredibly dangerous in real life: help Haiti’s understaffed and outgunned national police take back control from armed gangs that had basically taken over large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The pullout didn’t happen overnight. It was carefully planned in phases. The first 230 officers came home in December. Then on March 17, another 215 landed back in Kenya. And now, with this final group, the mission is fully wrapped up.
So why did Kenya leave? According to the Ministry of Interior, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2793 (2025), which changes how the international community handles Haiti. The old mission is being replaced by something called the Gang Suppression Force, or GSF. Kenya decided not to stay on under the new setup.
Looking back, the Kenyan officers did manage to achieve quite a bit. They helped secure the country’s main airport and seaport, both of which had been under threat of gang attacks for months. They also led joint patrols with Haitian police into neighborhoods that had become no-go zones. Those operations pushed gangs out of several areas and allowed aid trucks to finally reach people who had been trapped without food or medicine.
But not everyone is celebrating. The day after the last Kenyan officers left, small protests broke out in Port-au-Prince. People stood in the streets holding signs that read, “Don’t leave us” and “Gangs are waiting.” Many residents told local media they feel the Kenyan force was the only thing stopping the gangs from taking over completely again.
One shopkeeper, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said, “When they came, I finally opened my store after two years. Now I’m thinking of closing again.”
Back home, Kenyan officials are striking a proud tone. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen released a statement thanking the officers for their bravery. He said they carried out their duties with professionalism and brought credit to the country. For now, the officers are being given time to rest and reunite with their families.
As for Haiti, the new Gang Suppression Force is supposed to step in. But no one knows yet who will lead it, how many troops it will have, or when it will actually start operating. For the people living in gang-controlled neighborhoods, that uncertainty is the scariest part of all.
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