President William Ruto has committed to deploy 600 more Kenyan police officers to the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti.
President Ruto, who on Saturday, September 21, 2024, visited the Kenyan troops in Haiti, said the mission has continued to yield positive results.
This, President Ruto said, has helped in restoring hope to the people of the Caribbean nation for a stable and prosperous country.
Taking to his official X account on Sunday, September 22, 2024, the Head of State revealed that he had engaged the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council led by President Edgard Le Leblanc and other stakeholders.
During the engagement, Ruto said he had urged them to take advantage of the current relative calm to drive the momentum for progressive change.
“The Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti, backed by the United Nations Security Council, continues to yield positive results, restoring hope to the people of the Caribbean nation for a stable and prosperous country.
“In my engagement with the Transitional Presidential Council led by President Edgard Le Leblanc and other stakeholders, I have urged them to take advantage of this relative calm to drive the momentum for progressive change,” Ruto stated.
Prepared for UNGA
Ruto went ahead to state that his visit to Haiti had prepared him well to better engage world leaders on the Caribbean nation during the UN General Assembly that kicks off in New York this week.
He further noted that together with other leaders, they would call to attention the need to seize the opportunity of the operation in Haiti to realise the mandate of Security Council Resolution 2699.
“I am now better prepared to engage world leaders on Haiti at the UN General Assembly this week. We will be calling attention to the need to seize the opportunity of the last few weeks to realise the mandate of Security Council Resolution 2699. In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, met the Kenyan Police; committed to deploying 600 more officers in the operation,” President Ruto wrote on X.
The Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti, backed by the United Nations Security Council, continues to yield positive results, restoring hope to the people of the Caribbean nation for a stable and prosperous country.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 22, 2024
In my engagement with the Transitional… pic.twitter.com/4BGGSZd6gM
Ruto’s Haiti visit
Ruto had visited Haiti to assess the progress of the MSS mission.
During his tour, the Head of State commended the Kenyan contingent working alongside their Haitian counterparts.
Police deployment
Kenya’s deployment of police officers to Haiti is part of an MSS authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
The mission aims to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring security and stability amid escalating gang violence, humanitarian crises, and political instability.
The deployment was approved by a UN Security Council resolution in October last year, only to be delayed by a Kenyan court decision in January 2024 that ruled it unconstitutional.
The court said Ruto’s administration had no authority to send officers abroad without a prior bilateral agreement.
However, President Ruto flagged off the first group of 400 police officers to Haiti on June 24, 2024.
Ruto said Kenya has solid credentials in peacemaking and conflict resolution globally.
