Kenya mission in Haiti unaffected by U.S. funding freeze - Mudavadi

Prime Cabinet Secretary (CS) Musalia Mudavadi says the operations of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti won’t be jeopardised after the United States froze its financial contributions to the force through the United Nations (UN) fund.

The UN earlier announced that it has received an official notification from the U.S. asking for an immediate stop work order on their Ksh.1.7 billion shillings contribution towards the international security mission in Haiti.

With uncertainty clouding the fate of the 217 Kenyan Police Unit in Haiti, Mudavadi underscored that the Kenya-led multinational security in the troubled Caribbean Island will continue.

“The issue of Haiti is a multi-national effort. It is not hinged on one nation and the MSS Mission is there upon the resolution of the UN. There are many countries contributing. The process is on; I have to admit that we will do better if resources were more, but that does not mean that the Haiti Mission has come to a standstill,” said Mudavadi.

The move, which halts the U.S.'s funding toward the Haiti mission, was announced by U.N. Secretary-General's spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

“We received an official notification from the U.S. asking for an immediate stop work order on their contribution,” said Dujarric.

According to the UN, more than USD 110 million has been paid into a UN trust fund for the Haiti mission, with more than half of it coming from Canada. Other donors include France, Spain, Algeria, Turkey, and Italy.

Mudavadi says the mission is already seeking alternative partners should the US's freeze order remain in place.

“As we speak, we are also negotiating with the Dominican Republic and we are about to sign an MoU which will allow any injured personnel to get medical treatment,” he said.

The move by the US is in line with President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on all foreign aid contributions, pending a review to determine if they align with the "America First" foreign policy.

“Even still we hope that the fund will be reinstated...the US has also issued a waiver on the Haiti fund,” the Prime CS said.  

As it stands, there are approximately 900 police and troops in Haiti, from Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala and Belize, as part of the security mission.