By Cantona Joseph Published on: March 18, 2026 07:14 (EAT)
The officers were part of the 2023 deployment aimed at supporting efforts to stabilize Haiti amid escalating insecurity.
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A total of 215 Kenyan police officers who formed the second contingent of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti have safely returned to the country.
The officers were part of the 2023 deployment aimed at supporting efforts to stabilise Haiti amid escalating insecurity.
Their primary role involved assisting the Haitian National Police in restoring public order, particularly in areas heavily affected by gang violence and institutional breakdown.
Kenya has played a leading role in the UN-backed mission, which focuses on protecting civilians, securing critical infrastructure and strengthening local security systems. The return of the officers signals the beginning of a transition phase in the mission, with more personnel expected to be repatriated in stages as operations scale down.
The contingent received a warm welcome upon arrival, led by Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration Raymond Omollo.
He was joined by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, National Security Advisor Ambassador Monica Juma and Inspector General Emeritus Joseph Boinnet, all of whom commended the officers for their service.
Omollo praised the team for their resilience and dedication while operating in a complex and high-risk international security environment.
He said their contribution had not only supported stability efforts in Haiti but also enhanced Kenya’s standing as a key player in global peace support operations.
“Their sacrifice and professionalism reflect Kenya’s commitment to international peace and security,” he said, adding that the experience gained would further strengthen the country’s policing capacity.
The MSS mission, which has faced both logistical and operational challenges, is now transitioning into a drawdown phase.
Authorities say this process will be gradual to ensure a smooth handover and sustained support for Haitian security institutions.
The returning officers are expected to undergo debriefing and reintegration as they reunite with their families after months of service abroad.
Returning Kenyan police officers from Haiti Mission hailed as heroes
IG Kanja received the 215 officers whose tour of duty in Haiti has come to an end
The second contingent of Kenyan police officers deployed to Haiti under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission returned home on Tuesday night, receiving a hero’s welcome and commendation from the government for their role in restoring stability in the Caribbean nation.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and General Service Unit Commandant Ranson Lolmodooni flew to Haiti to accompany the 215 officers whose tour of duty had come to an end.
This marked the official drawdown of Kenyan personnel from Haiti ahead of the April 15, 2026 deadline, officials said.
The mission has now entered a transition and drawdown phase that will see more officers gradually return home from their deployment.
Kenya initially deployed the officers to Haiti in June 2024 under a multinational mission aimed at restoring order amid escalating gang violence that had threatened to topple the government.
During their deployment, Kenyan forces played a key role in securing critical infrastructure, including the main airport, hospitals, and major roads.
They also trained more than 2,000 Haitian police officers to continue operations after their departure.
Officials confirmed that another contingent of officers will leave within a week as part of the agreed exit timeline.
The withdrawal follows disagreements over the command of the newly established Gang Suppression Force (GSF), with Kenya declining to continue its involvement after failing to secure leadership assurances.
The mission received strong backing from the United States, with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau previously praising Kenyan officers during a visit to Nairobi. He credited their efforts with stabilizing Haiti, warning that the government could have collapsed without their intervention.
Kenya led the Multinational Security Support mission, which later evolved into a more robust anti-gang operation supported with equipment and logistics from international partners.
Despite its successes, the mission recorded casualties, with at least three Kenyan officers killed in the line of duty.
Speaking during the reception ceremony, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo lauded the 700 officers for their historic deployment, noting that they answered the call to serve with courage and professionalism.
Terror at prayer time as knife-wielding attacker lynched after killing rider in Tana River
Worshippers overpowered the attacker and, in retaliation, lynched him on the spot, police said.
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At least two people died following a violent knife attack and subsequent mob injustice incident in the Maramtu area of Bangale Sub-County, Tana River County.
Police said the incident occurred on March 16, 2026.
The violence began when the deceased, identified as Ismail Abdi Osman Bayata, 32, allegedly launched a series of attacks in the area.
The suspect first attacked a motorcyclist who was riding from Madogo towards Maramtu. He reportedly stabbed the rider fatally using a knife in an unprovoked attack.
He then proceeded to a nearby mosque during evening prayers, where he allegedly began attacking worshippers indiscriminately, witnesses told police.
In the chaos, one worshipper sustained stab wounds to the back and was rushed for medical attention. He was admitted in stable condition.
Worshippers eventually overpowered the attacker and, in retaliation, lynched him on the spot, police said.
Authorities indicated that the attacker was reportedly suffering from a mental illness and had been undergoing treatment at Garissa County Referral Hospital.
The bodies of the deceased, both bearing visible injuries, were moved to the Garissa Level Five County Referral Hospital mortuary pending post-mortem examinations.
Police have launched investigations into the incident, which has once again raised concerns over mob justice and mental health awareness in the region.
Cases of mob lynching are on the rise in the country, even as authorities step up efforts to curb the trend. Police say up to five such cases are reported daily in different parts of the country. Mental health concerns are also increasing amid ongoing efforts to address them.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old man was killed following a violent altercation over a grazing field in Wajir County.
Police said the incident occurred on the evening of March 16 at Biad Village in Sarif Location, Banane Ward.
The deceased was identified as Suleiman Farah Ali. Officers who responded to the scene found that members of the public had already interfered with it and transported the body using a Probox vehicle to Biyamathow.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the deceased had been involved in a dispute with a suspect over a grazing field. During the confrontation, the suspect allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times on the head, back, and abdomen before fleeing the scene.
The body, which had visible stab wounds, was preserved at Biyamathow Health Centre, where a post-mortem examination was conducted before it was released to the family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspect as investigations into the incident continue.
Total repression and air strikes bring unrelenting dread for Iranians
Tehran residents say they’re caught between US-Israeli bombing and an Iranian regime trying to reassert its power.
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A woman stands on a rooftop listening to the sounds of the city below. There is only the dull hum of traffic tonight. But she knows how easily that can change. It is usually the dogs who notice the sound first and begin to bark furiously. The noise of aircraft. Then the ominous percussion of explosions. A ball of orange rising from an airstrike in a familiar neighbourhood.
The BBC has obtained footage and interviews from Tehran which evoke a city of strained nerves, of constant waiting for the next blast and relentless fear of the state security apparatus.
Baran – not her real name – is a businesswoman in her thirties. She is now too scared to go to work. “With the start of the drone attacks, no one dares to go outside. If I open my door and step out, it is like gambling with my life.”
She lives alone but is in constant communication with her friends. “My friends and I message each other constantly asking where everyone is…and even when there is no sound the silence itself is terrifying. I am doing everything I can to stay alive and witness whatever lies ahead.”
Like so many young Iranians, Baran saw her hopes of change devastated in recent months. Thousands of people were killed in a crackdown by regime forces in January after widespread demonstrations demanding change.
“I cannot even remember how I used to live in the past without being reminded of the loved one I lost during the protests,” she says. “I fear tomorrow. I fear the person I will be tomorrow. Today, I survive somehow, but how will I get through tomorrow? That is the real question. Will I even live through tomorrow?”
Now repression is total. Open dissent is impossible as the state’s watchers are everywhere. Footage we obtained shows regime supporters driving through the city at night, flags flying from their cars – a message to any who might be tempted to protest.
The official narrative is the only one allowed. State television broadcasts footage of demonstrations and funerals. Interviews with pro-regime officials and protestors offer repeated denunciations of America and Israel. In government propaganda the Iranian people are extolled as willing to suffer martyrdom.
Independent journalists still try to gather testimony that offers a credible alternative view, but they run the risk of arrest, torture and possibly worse. As one of them told me: “In wartime conditions you really don’t know what they are capable of doing.”
It is only in their homes that some of Tehran’s residents feel able to share their feelings. Like Ali, a man in his forties, middle class and educated, who had hoped the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei at the start of the war would bring change.
Now he sees the streets around his home filled with security forces. Armed and masked men have set up checkpoints. “It is painful when I go into the streets. The city looks like the city of the dead.” He is taking anti-depressants, to “keep myself normal” he says.
“I see groups of people in the streets who are not from among us at all; they are people who support the government and who have, in effect, taken the streets away from us.”
Several Iranians who have spoken to the BBC describe conflicting emotions. They want the regime out but feel they and their country are under attack.
“The situation is frightening…,” says Ali. “The skies of your country are controlled by enemy forces. But at the same time there is always a hope in people’s hearts. It’s not that we are supporting America or Israel. But hoping simply that for one moment, something might happen that ends the current Iranian regime, and that the people will be able to create change.”
In her flat Baran is listening for the sound of explosions and messaging friends in other neighbourhoods. “Do you know what the difference is between our sky and the sky of the rest of the world?” she asks. “They sleep under the stars at night, and we sleep under rockets. Both skies give light, but different kinds of light.”
Baran thinks the war may go on for years, and that its psychological effects will last even longer. “This war will not end soon, because this war is inside our homes, inside the families…The war has entered our blood and has entered our lives.”
The citizens of this 6,000-year-old city are living in dread of American and Israeli bombs. Of the regime and its torturers. A daily unrelenting dread from which there is no sign of escape.
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