President William Ruto on Wednesday affirmed Kenya's commitment to taking leadership of the UN Security Support Mission in Haiti in a phone call with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Ruto, in a statement, confirmed that Blinken had briefed him on the decision of the Summit of Caribbean Countries (Caricom) and the US, together with other partners, on the political situation in Haiti.
The President stated that Blinken had informed him that a new Presidential Council would be formed shortly to manage the situation in Haiti.
Consequently, the President assured that Kenya would resume the mission as soon as the council was in place and a process agreed upon.
“ I assured Secretary Blinken that Kenya will take leadership of the UN Security Support Mission in Haiti to restore peace and security in Haiti as soon as the Presidential Council is in place under an agreed process,” explained the President.
On Tuesday, the Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’oei explained that Kenya was halting its mission as a result of the resignation of Haii’s Prime Minister, Ariel Henry.
According to the PS, the lack of a government in Haiti would affect the mission as there would be no anchor or grounds to justify the operation.
“The deal they signed with the president still stands, although the deployment will not happen now because definitely, we will require a sitting government to also collaborate with,” PS Korir was quoted by the New York Times.
“Because you don’t just deploy police to go on the Port-au-Prince streets without a sitting administration," the foreign affairs official added.
Previously the United States had also deployed its marine forces into the country to evacuate its Embassy and citizens after gangs took control of the Capital.
However, a commentary made by a Former US special envoy to Haiti, Daniel Foote, stated that Kenya’s mission was bound to fail since the country could not deliver on the mandate.
Further, the envoy urged Kenya to maintain peace within its territory and curb insecurity first before moving to Haiti.
