Kenya will continue supporting efforts for stabilisation in Haiti despite opposition towards the initiative by a section of local leaders, the government has revealed.
According to Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, Kenya will continue working with the United States and other partners to support Haiti and restore stability.
“We will continue to work with the United States and other members of the Standing Group of Partners on Haiti to support the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and HNP [Haiti National Police] on stabilisation,” said PS Sing’oei.
The remarks by Sing’oi came after US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, during a UN Security Council on Haiti briefing, thanked Kenya for its role in stabilisation of the Caribbean country that has been battling gang clash
“The US will remain relentless in pursuing gangs tearing apart Haitian security and terrorising the Caribbean. Good to have the UN and partners like Kenya sharing the burden,” Waltz said.
Opposition to Haiti Mission
A section of local leaders has been opposed to the initiative with calls for Kenya to withdraw from the new mission.
The mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya, ended on October 2 and was succeeded by the Gang Suppression Force.
A faction of opposition politicians led by Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has been calling for Kenyan officers to be withdrawn from Haiti.
Kalonzo claims that Kenya was misadvised to deploy officers in Haiti, even as the government maintained that the deployment was necessary as part of its international peace obligations.
“The mission was misadvised and it did not even in its initial stages get a nod of the UN Security Council, and without it, it was a mission impossible,” Kalonzo said during an interview.
“In the spirit of leadership and service, we must condemn the reckless decisions that put our young men in danger in Haiti. We want our boys back.”
Kalonzo’s position echoed that of DAP-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa and former CS Moses Kuria who have also since called for the withdrawal of the Kenyan officers. Wamalwa argued that the mission was unconstitutional, while Kuria described it as a misadventure.
So far, at least three Kenyan officers have passed away during the mission, which began in October 2023.
