Haiti mission funding raises eyebrows as Ksh.2.5B more allocated amid budget cuts

Questions have emerged on the government's incessant request for funds to support the Haiti mission for the second time, even though the same government assured Kenyan citizens that the mission was not funded by taxpayers.

In a supplementary budget currently before the National Assembly, the Liaison Committee has accepted a Ksh.2.5 billion request by the national government to support the peacekeeping mission in the Caribbean nation.

Earlier, the government had sought Ksh.2.1 billion, with Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi explaining that the money would be refunded by the UN.

This even as there are growing concerns about government priorities at a time when critical service providers like the Ministry of Health are undergoing budget cuts.

The conversation on who is funding the Haiti mission has never faded away in Kenya. The 200 Kenyan police officers in the Caribbean nation left amidst resistance from a section of Kenyans who felt that the mission was not a priority to Kenya.

Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia said, “Hatuwezi kuingoja tena wale askari wawe wanaletwa kwa jeneza na sisi wenyewe ndio tunagharamia ile gharama ya kuweka wale askari pale Haiti na tunajua kwamba Marekani tayari wamekataa ile mpango. Ile bilioni tano inaweza maliza hii barabara yetu ya Kegondi na imalize barabara zingine, oesa zetu zisitumike vibaya."

Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, on his part, said, "Badala ya kulia that American administration has withdrawn USAID, in order to now cover that gap, our advice would have been very simple—withdraw our Haiti children.”

On February 4, 2025, United States President Donald Trump announced a freeze on more than $13 million for an international security force helping fight armed gangs in Haiti, a move that raised questions about the welfare of Kenyan security officers in Haiti.

On February 5, 2025, National Security Advisor to the President Monica Juma said there were sufficient funds in the UN trust fund from other countries, approximating the figure then to $110 million.

In another twist of events, President William Ruto tweeted on February 5, 2025, just a day after Monica Juma’s statement, saying he had spoken to United States Secretary Marco Rubio, who had confirmed to him that the multinational security support mission in Haiti was exempted from the broader pause on federal assistance.

With all the happenings, the government is on the spot over its priorities.