US Ambassador Explains Major Reason Behind Delay in Kenya’s Haiti Mission
On Tuesday, Meg Whitman, the United States Ambassador to Kenya, explained that various reasons are causing the postponement of sending Kenyan police officers to Haiti.
During an official visit to Nyeri, Whitman mentioned that the US Department of Defense deems it essential to establish a base in Haiti, which will be utilized by Kenyan officers during their mission in the Caribbean country.
Whitman additionally emphasized the necessity of training Kenyan police officers to ensure they are properly equipped for their tasks, in addition to undergoing thorough vetting.
The ex-business leader elaborated that the entities funding the mission require time to establish structures for financing the operation.
“These are very complicated missions. This is not a UN peacekeeping mission. It is a different kind of mission,” Whitman noted.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, has also pointed to Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation as a reason for hindering the deployment.
The US diplomat explained the reason behind the delay in distributing the funds designated for the mission, mentioning that the United Nations was still in the process of establishing a trust fund.
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The trust fund will gather donations from various countries to support the multinational mission in Haiti and Kenya. Access to the funds will only be granted once the trust fund is established.
“There is the UN Trust fund that needs to be set up so that Kenya can be given the money to undertake the Haiti mission and these things take time,” Meg Whitman noted.
On March 1st, Kenya agreed with Haiti enabling the dispatch of its personnel to the conflict-ridden country. The accord was formalized by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and the Minister of Security from Haiti at State House.
Nevertheless, one week later, the Prime Minister of Haiti stepped down following a crisis meeting involving the 15-member regional bloc of the Caribbean Community, commonly referred to as CARICOM.
At the meeting, the stakeholders reached a consensus to establish a seven-person presidential committee tasked with selecting a temporary prime minister to manage affairs.
US Ambassador Explains Major Reason Behind Delay in Kenya’s Haiti Mission