Kenya disputes UN report on sexual abuse allegations in Haiti mission

Kenya has disputed a United Nations report that found substantiated allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving members of a UN-backed security mission in Haiti.

In a report dated February 16, the UN said its Human Rights Office had verified four cases of abuse linked to the anti-gang force deployed to Haiti, which is largely staffed by Kenyan police officers.

However, in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Kenya's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said a separate investigation by a Kenyan board of inquiry found the allegations to be unsubstantiated.

"Investigations conducted ​were impartial and shared with all relevant stakeholders, including UN human ‌rights ⁠offices," Mudavadi wrote.

Kenya contributes the majority of personnel to the roughly 1,000-strong multinational force, which was first deployed in June 2024 to help tackle gang violence in Haiti's capital.

The allegations come amid longstanding concerns over misconduct in international missions. The previous UN peacekeeping operation in Haiti, MINUSTAH, faced widespread accusations of sexual abuse between 2004 and 2017, with only a limited number of prosecutions carried out by troop-contributing countries.

The UN has not yet responded publicly to Kenya's latest position on the findings.