State has spent Sh36bn ahead of Haiti deployment – Kindiki
The government has spent 241 million US dollars (Sh36,571,750,000) to prepare some of the police officers earmarked for Haiti deployment, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki.
Kindiki clarified, during his appearance before the joint committees of the bicameral house that are examining the deployment to Haiti, that the funds expended on preparation will be reimbursed as soon as the deployment is authorized.
“I have attached a small amount that is preparatory work, we have 241 million US dollars for essential preparations so that when it is green we shall deploy,” Kindiki.
The total cost of the multinational mission, as estimated by Kindiki, is $600 million.
“Overall pending budget review is 600 million US dollars. The amount will cater for the preparation of the officers, kitting, logistics, transport, accommodation and bringing the officers back home,” he said.
The CS stated that for strategic reasons, the government will not deploy the one thousand officers all at once, but rather in stages.
“We are not taking the 1000 officers at once, we are taking them in batches,” Kindiki said.
The ongoing procedure of identifying the one thousand officers continues while they await the ruling of the court that halted the deployment.
Additionally, the CS refuted assertions that the massive deployment would jeopardize the nation’s internal security.
“Our assurance is that we have taken great detail to make sure we do not affect the security of the country,” he said.AL
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The Cabinet authorized the deployment of one thousand police officers to Haiti last month, surmounting an additional legal obstacle in the convoluted series of approvals required for the initiative to obtain legal support.
The deployment has been approved by the country’s council of ministers, according to a dispatch from State House in Nairobi; it will now be forwarded to parliament for the required ratification.
In Haiti, Kenya has extended an offer to spearhead a Multinational Security Support Mission.
The government’s decision to deploy the troops has generated considerable controversy, with one attorney having already initiated legal proceedings in an effort to halt the deployment in its entirety.
Previously, the High Court had momentarily halted deployment preparations in response to the attorney’s argument that no Cabinet decision had been reached and that Parliament was being bypassed.
In August, for the purpose of conducting an assessment study, a dozen senior police officers toured Toussaint Louverture International Airport and adjacent areas in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
In order to comprehend the needs of the local populace, the team, which was led by Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Noor Gabow, also met with government officials from Haiti and conducted discussions in New York, United States.
The United States is contributing $200 million to the MSS, contingent on congressional approval.
State has spent Sh36bn ahead of Haiti deployment – Kindiki