The Kenya police in Haiti are yet to be paid two months after the mission started, reports in the media say.

According to one report that was published on Monday August 26, 2024, by the Nation Media Group’s Daily Nation, the families of the officers taking part in the mission have come out to complain that the officers are yet to be paid since they started the dangerous peacekeeping mission.

The families whose predicament was highlighted by the media group stated that they were going through tough times financially since there were no payments coming through to keep them afloat.

“The schools are reopening and my husband is saying that they are yet to be paid,” a spouse of one officer was quoted by the report.

Breakdown of a Police Constable’s payslip: gross salary, deductions, net salary

Another relative of an officer in Haiti was quoted saying; “We have a serious challenge here because paying for meals and managing other bills has become a big problem.”

The report in the Daily Nation had gone on to state that some officers on the ground in Haiti had confirmed that they had not been paid. The report went on to state that acting Inspector-General of Police Gilbert Masengeli had been contacted regarding the non-payment of salaries.

In response, Masengeli had said that the officers will get their payment in time, the report stated.

400 Kenyan police officers were deployed in Haiti as the first tranche of an international force in June 2024. In mid-July, another contingent of 200 officers arrived in the troubled country.

According to the United Nation’s migration agency, over 500,000 Haitians have been forced from their homes by gang violence and instability in the Caribbean nation. In some parts of the main city, schools and hospitals have been converted into shelters for the displaced people.

Currently, it is estimated that the Haiti police force is made up of just 9,000 officers. Yet, about 8,000 Haitians are estimated to be members of about 200 gangs.