Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has confirmed that the Kenyan officers in Haiti have received their salaries up to the end of October amid reports of financial constraints facing the mission.
In a press briefing on Thursday, the IG commended the officers for leading the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission that seeks to restore peace in the war-torn nation.
Reports previously indicated that the officers had complained that they had yet to be renumerated despite leading the mission from June 25, 2024.
“Our officers in Haiti have received their payment up to the end of October,” Kanja stated.
Since its launch, the mission has been facing financial challenges as several foreign nations are yet to honour their pledges.
The UN-backed mission receives funds voluntarily from donor countries through a trust fund. However, failure by donor countries to fulfill their promises has led to logistical challenges for the Kenyan officers in the Caribbean nation.
Additionally, reports from the Treasury revealed that Kenya spent over Ksh.2 billion for the mission while waiting to be reimbursed by the UN.
“This money we are spending on behalf of the UN, we are the ones making the payment so the money comes from our exchequer because these are our officers,” Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said.
The fate of the mission now hangs in the balance, with critics questioning whether US President-elect Donald Trump would honour the Ksh.12 billion commitment.
Following his election victory, President Ruto called Trump to discuss the importance of the Haiti mission and possible areas of cooperation with his administration.
“I briefed President Trump on the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti and possible areas of cooperation with the US government on this important conflict resolution initiative,” Ruto said on November 9, 2024.
“We discussed areas of mutual interest that are of benefit to the citizens of our two countries, including trade and investment, security and good governance.”
