President William Ruto on Saturday, March 9 held a phone call with United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken over the escalating situation in Haiti.
Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said the two leaders underscored commitment to the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti and ensuring free and fair elections are held in Caribbean nation.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to discuss the ongoing political and security crisis in Haiti. They underscored unwavering commitment to the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission to support the Haitian National Police in creating the security conditions necessary to conduct free and fair elections,” read the statement in part.
Blinken also appreciated Kenya’s diplomatic work to support peace and security in the Horn of Africa.
The conversation between President Ruto and Blinken comes at a time when Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier alias "Barbecue" has worsened violence in the country demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
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On March 3, the Haiti gangs attacked prisons and freed thousands of inmates forcing the Haiti government to declare a state of emergency.
Kenya and Haiti on March 1 signed an agreement formalizing the deployment of 1,000 police officers to the North American nation.
“From Kenya, we are ready for this deployment, and I request all the other partners across the globe to step up so that we can provide a response in good time,” said President Ruto after the agreement.
The Kenyan officers were set to be deployed in February but the High Court blocked it saying it was unconstitutional.
Justice Chacha Mwita in a ruling on January 26 pointed out the National Security Council lacks authority to deploy police officers outside the country.
He also mentioned that Kenya did not have an arrangement with Haiti for police officers to be deployed.
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