International News: Kenyan Evangelical Pastors enlisted to guide Haiti Mission

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: In preparation for Kenya’s forthcoming deployment of police officers to Haiti as part of a high-profile anti-gang mission, Kenya’s President William Ruto has engaged in extensive consultations with political advisers, security officials, and foreign leaders.

In a less conventional approach, he has also sought counsel from a circle of Christian evangelical pastors close to him and his wife.

According to interviews with two of the pastors and 3 Haitian and American evangelical leaders, these pastors have provided recommendations to President Ruto and acted as a bridge between Haitian communities and the Kenyan president.

According to Reuters, the efforts of these pastors in the lead-up to the deployment, scheduled to commence later this month, have included meetings with Haitians in the United States, fellow evangelical counterparts, U.S. government officials, and even Haiti’s notorious gang leader, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier.

“We believe that we are a tool that God will use to help,” said Serge Musasilwa, an evangelical pastor in Kenya involved in the initiative.

Musasilwa, a trained sociologist, has experience in conflict resolution in his native Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries.

Advocates of the initiative argue that the relationships established with Haitian communities will enable the Kenyan-led multinational force to avoid the pitfalls of previous foreign interventions in Haiti, which often resulted in human rights abuses and disease outbreaks, notably the cholera epidemic of 2010.

Daniel Jean-Louis, president of the Baptist Haiti Mission, which has collaborated with the Kenyan pastors, emphasized the importance of community connections in intervention strategies, citing past failures due to disconnection from the local populace.

Pierre Espérance, Executive Director of the National Human Rights Defence Network in Haiti, criticized Kenya’s outreach to gang leaders, asserting that it undermines the victims’ plight and suggesting that security mandates should remain the focus rather than religious strategies.

“It’s not a question of the gospel or praying with gangs that will resolve problems,” he remarked.

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