President William Ruto has once again defended Kenya’s commitment to deploy 1,000 police officers to Port-au-Prince as part of the U.N. Security Council-backed security mission to troubled Haiti.
This deployment comes after Kenya, in July 2023, volunteered to lead the mission and deploy troops to restore order to the troubled Caribbean nation.
During a joint press conference with his host, U.S President Joe Biden, President Ruto said that it was the responsibility of every country to make sure that law and order is restored in Haiti, “because a troubled Haiti is a troubled world”.
He was responding to a journalist who questioned Kenya’s decision to send forces to Haiti, which is 12,078 kilometres away, yet Kenya is still battling with banditry in the North Rift region.
“I made a commitment to the people of Kenya to sort out insecurity in the North Rift. I have followed that with action. As we speak there are 3,000 military officers and 2,000 police officers in the North Rift,” answered Ruto. “We have also renovated 15 schools and reopened 20 schools that were closed. The exercise is still ongoing.”
Ruto emphasized that while addressing domestic security concerns is a priority, Kenya also has a responsibility to contribute to regional and global stability, citing previous missions.
“We have made tremendous progress in making sure that we create security at home but that does not take away our responsibility. Even as we deployed troops and police to sort out the banditry problem, we still deployed 1,000 troops to DRC Congo because that is our neighbor,” he stated.
The President added that Kenya has deployed 5,000 troops in Somalia on a peacekeeping mission and Haiti should not be any different.
“We have deployed 5,000 troops in Somalia because that is equally our responsibility and Haiti should not be an exception. Deploying 1,000 troops to Haiti speaks of the same belief and commitment.”
Approximately 200 Kenyan police officers, drawn from the elite Recce squad, Rapid Deployment Force and Special Operation Group, have already been deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, as part of the UN mission.
The officers, who touched down in Haiti around May 23 or 24 this year, are tasked with protecting vital facilities and battling with criminal groups in close-range combat.
However, some groups in the Caribbean nation have expressed reservations, airing their opposition against Kenya deploying its forces in Haiti.
The Movement Unforgettable Dessalines Jean Jacques(MUDJJ), for instance, insisted on Thursday, May 23 that their country’s problems should be solved internally.
