By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Kenya has officially filed a protest against a UN report accusing the East African country’s troops serving in a Security Council-backed mission in Haiti of being involved in sexual abuse.
In a letter to the UN Secretary General, António Gutteres, Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi expressed concern over the allegations first reported in August last year.
A report by the UN chief made public last week in indicted officers under the Kenyan-led mission in four cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence.
According to the report, three of the alleged victims are children, a 12-year-old and two aged 16.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister said the claims were promptly investigated through an inquiry and found to be unsubstantiated.
“No formal complaints were filed with any authority, and findings were shared transparently with both Haitian and UN bodies,” he said.
The minister said that the personnel in the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) strictly adhered to all rules and that no reports had identified any misconduct.
The UN report listing the four allegations stated that each was communicated to the MSS force commander.
The report says the allegations were substantiated by investigations conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
According to the UN, the allegations are under review.
“Sexual exploitation and abuse represent a fundamental betrayal of the trust placed in the United Nations and its partners by the communities it serves,” the report states.
The Kenya-led mission was deployed to Haiti in 2024 to help combat gang violence, following authorisation by the UN Security Council.
The force was meant to have up to 2,500 members, but fell short of that target and, beset by operational and funding challenges, it was unable to curb the violence.
Mudavadi said Kenya’s deployment through the MSS showed the country’s commitment, despite operational challenges and domestic opposition.
The MSS has since been replaced by a larger international force, the Gang Suppression Force, with the Kenya-led mission being phased out.
