President William Ruto has confirmed Kenya’s commitment to spearhead a multinational effort aimed at addressing the escalating violence in Haiti once a new presidential council assumes office in the Caribbean nation.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ruto assured the United States of Kenya’s readiness to take the lead in the mission, following discussions with Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding recent developments in Haiti.
“He informed me that a new presidential council will be formed shortly to manage the situation in Haiti,” Ruto said on social media.
“I assured secretary Blinken that Kenya will take leadership… as soon as the presidential council is in place under an agreed process.”
Kenya had previously pledged to deploy up to 1,000 personnel to Haiti last July, a commitment endorsed by the United States and other nations. However, legal obstacles arose, notably a ruling by Kenya’s High Court in January restricting the deployment of police officers without specific authorization.
Despite these challenges, a reciprocal agreement allowing Kenya to deploy police officers to Haiti was signed on March 1, with Ruto and Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry in attendance.
Meanwhile, opposition figures have indicated intentions to mount fresh legal challenges against the deployment.
The recent diplomatic efforts culminated in an agreement reached during talks in Jamaica, where Henry agreed to step down, leading to the formation of a transitional council tasked with appointing an interim leader and organizing elections. Haiti has been mired in political turmoil since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, with Henry serving as a transitional figure since then.
The establishment of a new government in Haiti will pave the way for Kenya to assume its leadership role in the multinational mission aimed at restoring stability to the troubled nation.
