A Kenyan delegation has met Haiti’s new transitional leader, Laurent Saint-Cyr, for talks on the progress of the UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) as the Caribbean nation struggles with escalating gang violence.

The team, led by Deputy National Security Adviser Joseph Boinnet and Kenya’s Consul General to Haiti Noor Gabow, was joined by MSS head Godfrey Otunge for the August 14 meeting.

Discussions focused on the mission’s achievements so far and the next steps in restoring stability.

Saint-Cyr, elected on August 7 to chair the transitional presidential council, praised the MSS for helping secure parts of Port-au-Prince despite continued clashes between rival gangs.

He now leads the country alongside Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, a former technology executive and ex-president of Haiti’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Boinnet is in Haiti to evaluate the work of 800 Kenyan police officers deployed under the MSS since June 25, 2024.

The officers have been patrolling around the clock and guarding critical sites in a city where armed groups control most neighborhoods. Plans are underway to send more officers, with the UN expected to decide next month in New York whether to renew the mission’s mandate.

Saint-Cyr’s rise marked an unusual moment in Haitian politics, with both top government positions now held by private sector figures. He began his career in insurance, while Fils-Aimé’s background is in technology and business.

Their administration faces a major test as violence worsens.

This week, US prosecutors charged feared gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, known as “Barbecue,” and US citizen Bazile Richardson. The two are accused of raising funds from Haitians in the US to purchase firearms and bankroll gang activities, in violation of American sanctions.

Cherizier, a former police officer who heads the Viv Ansanm gang alliance, is linked to murders, kidnappings, and attacks on vital infrastructure. The US has offered a $5 million (Sh646.9 million) reward for information leading to his arrest.

The violence has fuelled Haiti’s humanitarian crisis. According to the UN, 5.7 million people, more than half the population, face severe food shortages, and over one million have been displaced.

International partners, including Kenya, continue to push for calm and support efforts to put Haiti on a path to recovery.