Cap-Haïtien: Citizen Collective Demands New Municipal Leadership to Save the City
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 2 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
As the country's second-largest city and historical birthplace of the nation, Cap-Haïtien is experiencing an unprecedented urban crisis. Problems are accumulating, while municipal authorities appear to be abdicating their responsibilities. Faced with this situation, a collective of engaged citizens, united under the name « Kenbe Kap Òw », directly appeals to the Transitional Presidential Council to demand a refoundation of municipal governance.
A City Abandoned
According to the collective, the Christophian city is left to its own devices. Cleaning initiatives, such as the « Opération Ville Propre » campaigns, remain sporadic and ineffective. Insanitation and failing urban waste management are transforming the city into a veritable open-air dump.
Added to this is increased vulnerability to bad weather: lack of drainage, clogged canals, recurrent floods, precarious housing built in risk areas, anarchic urbanization… The people of Cap-Haïtien live daily in an environment that endangers their health and safety.
Urban Disorder and Lack of Planning
Traffic is another scourge. Without a structured traffic plan, the coexistence of tap-taps, motorcycles, and private vehicles generates permanent congestion. The absence of an urban planning vision also results in deforestation in the surrounding areas, environmental degradation, and water pollution, compromising the city's sustainable future.
Failing Governance
The collective denounces a city hall incapable of fulfilling its role of communal coordination and planning. Despite the existence of local financial resources (taxes, customs revenues, port and airport income), the population perceives no tangible benefits. For Kenbe Kap Òw, this mismanagement reflects a lack of vision, initiative, and political will.
A Clear Demand: New Leadership
In its memorandum, the collective calls for the immediate replacement of the current municipal authorities, deemed incompetent and lacking a sense of initiative. The population, supported by several political sectors and civil society, wishes for the establishment of a new municipal team meeting strict criteria:
- representativeness within the community,
- mastery of public administration,
- knowledge of the territory,
- enlightened and visionary leadership,
- impeccable reputation.
