The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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The Kenyan government has spent Ksh.2.1 billion on the ongoing Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti, despite prior assurances that taxpayer money would not be used for the mission.
A letter from the Treasury to the National Assembly, obtained by Citizen Digital, reveals that the National Treasury has disbursed a total of Ksh.17.6 billion under Article 223, which permits government expenditure without parliamentary approval. Of this amount, Ksh.2 billion has been directed towards supporting Kenya’s peacekeeping operations in Haiti.
This expenditure, made on September 18, has raised concerns about the adequacy of funding for the mission, with reports indicating that Kenyan troops are enduring harsh conditions on the ground. Critics have pointed out the contradiction between the earlier promise that no taxpayer funds would be allocated to the mission and the actual disbursement.
In response, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi clarified that the funds spent by Kenya will be reimbursed by the United Nations. “We are paying on behalf of the UN, so the funds come from our treasury. These are our officers, and the money will be refunded,” Mbadi explained. He further noted that while the expenditure was not initially budgeted for, the law requires that it be recognized within two months through supplementary budgeting, which will reflect both income and expenditure.
President William Ruto, in a meeting with former Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille in Nairobi, called on the international community to honor their commitments and provide the necessary support for the mission. “We urge the international community to match their pledges with concrete actions to ensure we can complete the task ahead,” President Ruto said.
Kenya has been leading the peacekeeping efforts in Haiti since June, focusing on combating the escalating gang violence that has destabilized the Caribbean nation.
