President William Ruto has come out to respond to questions and concerns that came with the government’s move to sign deal that will see 1000 Kenyan soldiers deployed to Haiti for a peace mission.
In a statement, the head of state listed 5 reasons as to why the decision was arrived.
“Our participation in the operation reaffirms the DNA of our nation. Our destiny is inextricably linked to the whole of humanity. This is why Haiti is important; Haiti is not far, and Haiti is our business,” he said.
According to him, one of the reason why Kenyan officers will be deployed is that the mission will sharpen their skills.
“This deployment will enable our officers to improve and sharpen their competencies, skills and experiences in providing security, even beyond our borders. The operation will restore security to Haiti, will enhance the capacity of our national police force to serve humanity even beyond our borders, and will reaffirm our position of pride among the Community of Nations,” he said.
Aside from, Ruto noted that the move will not in any way compromise the country’s security. He said that the duty has been balanced with the country’s needs.
He added that Kenya was selected to be part of the peace mission because of “its impressive record of participation in Peace Support operations worldwide.”
Ruto cited that Kenya has participated on 46 peace missions since gaining independence in 1963.
He further said that Haiti is part of Africa’s 6th region.
“This places a duty of care on every African country. Just like we acted in concert to secure the freedom of the whole continent, Africa is keen to contribute to the freedom and security of Haiti,” he explained.
He added that the mission is multi national. He said by Kenya deploying soldiers to Haiti, the country will be supporting other African countries that will also be sending their troops.
