Haiti Asked For Kenya’s Help – CS Mutua Says on Deploying Police to the Caribbean Nation

Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua has dispelled rumours that Kenya is sending the police to Haiti due to influence from powerful nations.

The CS stated on Tuesday that Kenya is sending a police force to Haiti since the Caribbean nation asked for her assistance.

Having previously dispatched troops to Namibia, Sierra Leone, East Timor, South Sudan, Somalia, and the DRC, Mutua stated that Kenya is one of the most sought-after country for peacekeeping missions.

“It is because of Kenya’s stellar performance that the Government of Haiti requested Kenya to lead a police mission to help stabilise and bring order to their country,” he said.

“We assure the people of Haiti that we feel your pain. When you cry out, we feel it and when your children suffer. Your pain is our pain. We shall stand with you at this difficult time and walk the journey towards peace together because you deserve to live a secure and prosperous life.”

Kenya has offered to send 1,000 security troops to Haiti, where armed gangs have taken over huge tracts of territory.

Since President Jovenel Mose was assassinated in July 2021 in his own mansion in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere has descended into turmoil.

According to statistics from the UN, since the year’s beginning, there have been more than 2,400 violent deaths.

There have been calls for an international force to step in, and the United States announced earlier this month that up to a dozen nations have volunteered their support while committing its own logistical support.

Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Antigua have also indicated their desire to take part in the peace-keeping mission.

“Kenya has committed to supporting our brothers and Sisters in Haiti, who originally came from our continent. Indeed, we have many similarities and a common heritage,” Mutua added.

Ten other countries were on board with the operation, Mutua said, adding that Kenya was collaborating with other partners to obtain a United Nations mandate.

“We are currently working with other partners to get a United Nations mandate and resolution. We will thereafter hold meetings to garner support for the necessary deployment. Already ten other nations have indicated their willingness to send troops and or finance the mission,” said the CS.