Kenyan police officers preparing to deploy to Haiti, where preparations are under way

Civilian contractors have started to arrive in Haiti to help prepare for the arrival of Kenyan forces, whose deployment is currently in the works, a top Biden official confirmed to the Miami Herald on Friday.

Todd D. Robinson, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, said an initial deployment of Kenyan police officers is being planned to coincide with the arrival of President William Ruto in Washington later this month.

The White House has confirmed that President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Ruto and his wife, First Lady Racheo Ruto, for a state visit on May 23 to mark the 60th anniversary of U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relations.

“The initial deployment will happen sometime around his State visit,” said Robinson, declining to give an exact date or the number of officers who will be deployed as part of the long-awaited Multinational Security Support mission.

On Friday, a day after U.S. helicopters were seen flying through Port-au-Prince’s dark skies, the U.S. Southern Command landed another aircraft at Toussaint Louverture International Airport. The plane transported civilian contractors who will be providing support to the Pentagon to build out the area where the Kenyan support mission is supposed to be staying while in Haiti.