Govt Explains Why US Refused To Send Soldiers To Haiti
The Kenyan government has responded to criticism of its agreement with the United States to deploy police officers to Haiti.
Following failed missions in the troubled Caribbean nation in the 1990s, critics asserted that the United States was not prepared to deploy personnel.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua disclosed during a briefing on the just-concluded United Nations General Assembly that the United States had considered the matter.
The United States ultimately resolved not to deploy officers because Haiti was an immediate neighbor and could not therefore lead the mission.
Mutua also disclosed that Kenya was in a better position because it could afford to deploy 1,000 soldiers, despite the country’s rising crime rate.
ALSO READ: US Pledges Ksh14 Billion to Back Kenya Police Mission in Haiti
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs believed that the criticism of the Kenyan government was unwarranted because the operation would not be funded by Kenyan taxpayers.
The United States has consented to provide Kenya’s police force with Ksh14 billion in funding.
Mutua stated that the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti will take place in January 2024.
“We expect the United Nations Mandate within the next few weeks,” he revealed what was holding back the deployment.
“We have started planning logistics, equipment, and personnel.”
According to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the government had already begun teaching French to Haitian police officers.
The 1,000 officers that will be sent to Haiti will not be tasked with combating the gangs that have seized control of critical regions there.
Instead, the officers will be tasked with protecting vital government facilities, such as ports, airports, parliament, and hospitals.
Govt Explains Why US Refused To Send Soldiers To Haiti
