Gov't Official Defends Rachel Ruto after Backlash from Kenyans

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei now says the commitment to prayer to Kenyan police heading to Haiti is important.

First Lady Rachel Ruto revealed plans to set up an intercessors' team to pray for the officers preparing for the mission.

Her revelation attracted criticism from a section of Kenyans who argued the officers needed proper safety gear and war equipment at the expense of prayers.

"Prayer strategy team? Just buy bulletproof vests, might save a life," said Raptcha The Sayantist.

"It is militia in Haiti, prayer is for the spiritual world but this is a battlefront where it can only be met with equal but opposite force and that is military force not even police," argued Alvin Halgo.

Coming to the rescue of the First Lady in the face of the backlash, Sing'oei appreciated the importance of prayer and its contribution to solving such challenges as anarchy in Haiti.

"We shouldn't be too quick to discount the role of faith communities in addressing difficult social challenges," he said.

Meanwhile, Kenya was forced to hold back the Haiti deployment after the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Ariel Henry on March 11 following weeks of pressure and increasing violence.

According to Sing'oei, Nairobi could not proceed with the police deployment to Haiti without a political administration on which the deployment could rest.

The Kenyan government will now have to wait for a new constitutional authority to be installed before making further decisions on the deployment of officers.

Kenya and Haiti on March 1 signed an agreement formalizing the deployment of 1,000 police officers to the North American nation.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki signed the agreement with his Haitian counterpart at State House Nairobi.