Govt speaks after US freezes funding for Haiti mission
The Kenyan government has denied reports that a move by the US to freeze funding for the Kenya-led Haiti Multi-national Security Support mission (MSS) will jeopardize the operations.
In a statement on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the fund is well resourced to support the mission until the end of September 2025.
“The claims that the US funding freeze for the Kenya-led Haiti Multi-national Security Support mission (MSS) will jeopardize the operations is false and lack any factual basis. The MSS mission is supported by the UN Trust Fund for Haiti, established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2699 in October 2023. This Kenya-led mission also includes police deployments from Guatemala, Jamaica, El Salvador, Bahamas and Belize among others,” Mwaura stated.
Mwaura revealed that as at the end of 2024, USD110.3 million (Ksh14.2 billion) had been pledged by several countries, including the USA, Canada, France, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Algeria.
“USD85 million (Ksh11 billion) had been received by the Trust Fund, including substantial amounts from the United States,” he added.
Haiti funds held
Mwaura says a portion of the undisbursed US contribution amounting to $15 million (Ksh1.9 billion) has been temporarily held due to the US presidential directive.
“Kenya and its partners remain fully committed to ensuring the mission transitions to a full UN-led operation to guarantee its long-term financial sustainability and security mandate,” he said.
The situation has been ocassioned by a move by President Donald Trump to implement a sweeping freeze on all foreign aid, rendering sevaral aid programmes untenable.
AP reports that the fund now has less than $100 million of the estimated $600 million required annually for the multinational force
On January 29, 2025, the US State Department approved an aid freeze waiver for the mission for $41 million and waiver requests for another more than $30 million in assistance are pending, according to US officials.
The funding that was halted appeared to take officials leading the Kenyan mission by surprise.
