Kenyan police officers who were sent to Haiti as part of a peacekeeping mission are now threatening to quit their duties after not being paid for three months.
The officers, who have been in Haiti since August, claim they haven’t received any salary since then. This has led to frustration and growing discontent among the officers, many of whom are struggling to support their families back home in Kenya.
One officer, speaking anonymously, said, “We were promised that our pay would come on time. But now, we have not received any salary since August.
This is unacceptable. Some of us are even considering quitting the mission because we can’t continue like this.”
The officers’ main complaint is that they were assured of timely payment funded by the United Nations before they left Kenya.
However, despite this promise, they have been left without pay. The Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, has claimed that salaries were paid in October. But the officers argue that this is not true and they have not received any payment since August.
The delay in payments has not only affected the morale of the officers but also caused financial hardship for their families in Kenya.
Many families are unable to afford basic necessities, pay school fees, or cover everyday expenses.
One officer’s wife shared, “It has been hard. I have had to borrow money just to buy food and pay bills. My children can’t even go to school because there is no money to pay their fees.”
The officers say that they feel abandoned by the Kenyan government, the very system they are serving. They are risking their lives every day to help stabilize Haiti, but they are left without the support they were promised.
Some officers are now considering resigning from the mission, but they are being warned not to speak out.
“Our seniors are telling us to keep quiet and not share our struggles with the media,” one officer revealed. This has created a sense of helplessness, and many feel that their voices are being silenced.
By Nairobi