A new group of 600 Kenyan police officers graduated on Friday, preparing for a peacekeeping mission in Haiti later this month. Among them is an all-female Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

Officials highlighted the need for female officers to address cases involving female suspects and handle other gender-related matters.

These officers come from various specialized units, including the General Service Unit, Anti Stock Theft Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit, and the all-female SWAT team.

They will join a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission focused on restoring peace in Haiti. The SWAT team, part of the Administration Police Service, is the newest paramilitary unit and has received extensive training in urban combat.

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The team recently completed pre-deployment training, and will soon join other personnel already stationed in Haiti. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja officially closed the training course for the mission at the National Police College Embakasi ‘A’ Campus on November 8. Before the full deployment, an assessment team will visit Haiti to report on the situation.

Last month, these officers also met with Haiti’s Prime Minister Garry Conille during his visit to Kenya’s Administration Police Training Campus in Embakasi.

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President William Ruto recently discussed the mission with US President-elect Donald Trump, congratulating him on his election and covering areas of shared interest, such as trade, security, and governance. Ruto updated Trump on Kenya’s leadership of the mission in Haiti and potential cooperation with the U.S. government to support conflict resolution efforts.

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Ruto expressed confidence in the mission’s ability to improve security in Haiti, describing it as “a battle we can win” against gangs. During the Haitian Prime Minister’s recent visit, Ruto pledged an additional 600 officers to strengthen the anti-gang mission.