Kenya’s mission to Haiti has obtained an injection of KSh8.2 billion from the Canadian government after consultations between the two Heads of states.
In a statement shared by the Canadian government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to President William Ruto on the Haiti situation on Wednesday, March 13.
They were both reportedly in favor of the formation of a transition council in Haiti that will lay ground for fresh elections after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned earlier this week.
“They stressed the importance of restoring democratic order in Haiti,” read part of the statement.
Canada lauded Kenya for standing its ground in deployment of 1,000 police officers for a multinational security mission in the Caribbean country.
Among their concerns was the humanitarian situation in the conflict-hit Haiti being run by gangs.
“The Prime Minister and the President discussed the latest developments and shared their deep concerns over the security and humanitarian crises, reiterating their commitment to supporting the people of Haiti and the MSS mission,” the statement read in part.
To assist the situation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered $80.5 million (KSh8.2 billion) towards the mission.
Trudeau further reiterated his commitment to support the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members who will also be sending soldiers to Haiti.
Talks with U.S on Haiti mission
This comes hours after President Ruto revealed he had a phone conversation with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the developments in Haiti.
“He informed me that a new Presidential Council will be formed shortly to manage the situation in Haiti,” Ruto noted.
According to Reuters, the U.S government now wants some gang members to be part of the transition council for the sake of smooth transition to power.
Apparently, the transition council will comprise of; a religious leader, a civil society representative, a Haitian faction representative, and members from various political and business sectors.
The first in command went on to assure Secretary Blinken that Kenya would not back down from the mission.
“I assured Secretary Blinken that Kenya will take leadership of the UN Security Support Mission in Haiti to restore peace and security in Haiti as soon as the Presidential Council is in place under an agreed process,” he added.
