Permanent Secretary of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Korir Sing’Oei, on Wednesday night, defended the Ksh2.1 billion spent by the government on the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) in Haiti.
Speaking on Citizen TV, the PS stated it was a standard procedure for member states engaged in missions to contribute finances, which will be refunded upon the end of the mission. The new developments come as the United Nations (UN) Trust received pledges totalling $96.8 million (approximately Ksh12.4 billion), but the targets are yet to be realised, crippling the MSS operation.
“This is the normal practice. The resources will certainly be reimbursed to Kenya. The financing mechanism for it is through a trust fund, which enables countries to make contributions,” he explained.
The Ksh2.1 billion expenditure is part of a larger budget allocation of Ksh17.6 billion, which was utilised under Article 223, allowing the government to make expenditures without prior Parliamentary approval.
While defending the expenditure, the CS assured Kenyans that the money would be reimbursed. “It is just that the resources are never available at the get-go and yet the deployment has to take place,” he added.
He further explained that when Kenya deployed a contingent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the country underwrote a great deal of that expense, and the money was later reimbursed.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi separately clarified that although these funds are drawn from Kenya’s exchequer, they are expected to be reimbursed by the United Nations under the Haiti Mission agreement.
PS Sing’Oei expressed confidence with US policy on MSS even as President-elect Donald Trump is set to assume office, emphasising MSS aligns with Trump’s strategy on immigration.
“To our minds, the existence of the MSS actually aligns with President-elect Trump’s strategy around immigration. What the MSS is trying to do is establish the conditions necessary for the flourishing of the Haitian society, which then deals with the problem of illegal immigrants at source,” he said.
Kenya’s involvement in Haiti includes deploying police officers to assist with security and stability in Haiti. The first batch of 400 officers was deployed in June, with plans for an additional 600 officers by the end of November.
The United States in the last two weeks intensified its efforts to overhaul the Kenya-led multinational security in the Caribbean state in a bid to restore civil normalcy.
US diplomats have been pressing for rapid action, pointing to the need for consistent funding and a unified international approach. Haiti’s government has called for a UN peacekeeping force to increase funding to aid the mission—a request supported by the Organisation of American States.
President William Ruto, while delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, urged support for Haiti and called for member states to step up their contributions.
"I appeal to all member states to stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti by providing necessary support, either directly to Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) contributing countries or through the UN Trust Fund," he said.
