KENYA’S president has committed his country to leading a controversial multinational force in Haiti to combat gang warfare.

President William Ruto spoke on Wednesday at a ceremony to establish diplomatic ties with the Caribbean nation. 

Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, also attended the ceremony. 

Mr Ruto said: “As the leading nation in the United Nations-backed security mission in Haiti, we are committed to deploying a specialised team to comprehensively assess the situation and formulate actionable strategies that will lead to long-term solutions.”

Gangs have overpowered Haitian police, with experts estimating they now control some 80 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

Schools in some areas have closed because warring gangs are raping and killing people. The violence has displaced nearly 200,000 Haitians whose homes have been burned.

The United States is drafting a UN security council resolution authorising the intervention, but no timetable has been given for submitting and voting on it. 

Kenyan officials have not responded to questions, including what the government is being offered in exchange for leading the force.

Some Haitians and Kenyans have expressed scepticism about a multinational deployment led by Kenyan police, who have long been accused by watchdogs of deadly force, torture and other abuses.