Violence in Haiti has consequences for Kenya – Mudavadi

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has maintained that Kenya will remain resolute in helping Haiti come out of political and socioeconomic turmoil.

Speaking to the Star, Mudavadi said Haiti may be 12,000 kilometres away but the violence in the Caribbean nation has ramifications for Kenya and other distant countries.

He said Kenyans should not think that the state of lawlessness in Haiti has no implications for them.

“Gangsterism is a very serious thing. It is a form of terrorism. When gangs are allowed to operate, trade in narcotics flourish and the drugs will find their way to countries many kilometres away,” he explained.

Mudavadi further said Kenyans should also remember that there are other countries which will send officers to Haiti.

“Kenya is not alone in this. There are other countries which are also assisting the mission Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti,” he said.

He noted that several other countries have also pledged police, including Benin, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh and Chad.

Mudavadi further noted that Kenya has been involved in 47 peacekeeping missions across the world.

“We have been to Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Bosnia, East Timor and many other countries. Going to Haiti, therefore, should not raise eyebrows,” he said.

“If you go to Eldoret, you will find a place called Kosovo. Chances are that the place got the name because some people from there went to Kosovo on a peacekeeping mission.”

The Kenyan-led mission, authorised by the United Nations Security Council in October 2023, is expected to be deployed soon.

Its mandate is to assist Haitian police in securing key infrastructure and fighting criminal groups, which control nearly all the country’s capital and are responsible for widespread abuses.

A Kenyan delegation has already visited Haiti, setting the stage for deployment of a mission set to assist Haitian police in dealing with criminal groups behind the violence and chaos in Port au Prince, the country’s capital.

A delegation, including the commander of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, arrived on May 20 and assessed the United States government’s preparations for the mission’s deployment.

The Caribbean nation has been racked by violence in recent months after gangs declared war on the government of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry in February.

The UN says more than 2,500 people were killed or injured across the country from January to March while at least 95,000 people have fled the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Henry had pleaded with the UN Security Council last year to deploy a mission that would bolster Haiti’s fragile security forces and help clamp down on rampant gang violence.