'Sasa anataka kuwa muhubiri!' Ruto jokes about gang leader Barbecue during Haiti visit
President William Ruto in Berlin, Germany September 13, 2024 (L) and gang leader Jimmy "Barbecue" Cherizier in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 5, 2024. (Photos by AFP)
Ruto, in a one-on-one engagement with the Kenyan peacekeepers, joked about how he was told the dreaded Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, famously referred to as Barbecue, had allegedly surrendered to the Kenyan police and now wants to become a preacher.
"Congratulations... I have been told by Otunge (commander of the Kenyan peacekeepers in Haiti) that you guys have flattened Barbecue's base and now he has surrendered and he wants to become a preacher. He is almost giving up," Ruto said in Swahili amid laughter from the Kenyan police officers.
The President congratulated the Kenyan mission on restoring peace and order in Haiti and promised his support and that of the international community in returning Haiti to the people.
Just over a week ago, Barbecue publicly said Kenyan officers in the Caribbean nation are ruthless, lamenting in a TikTok viral video that the officers, alongside those serving in the Haitian National Police (HNP), stormed his base and fired bullets and tear gas at his gang members.
At the same time, Ruto on Saturday called on the international community to provide the requisite resources to the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti.
The President said the support, which includes personnel, equipment and logistics, will fast-track the realisation of the mission's objective of restoring peace and stability in the nation.
President Ruto said the Mission, under Force Commander Godfrey Otunge, has made tangible progress in restoring peace and stability in the country.
He observed that the United Nations-backed Mission has injected hope in the people of Haiti.
The President urged Haitian stakeholders — its leaders, the people, especially women and youth, the civic sector, business and the private sector — to take advantage of this relative calm to drive the momentum for progressive change.
“The Mission is here to create an environment where you can reclaim your nation’s safety and security and determine your future,” Ruto said.
The Head of State saluted the officers for their outstanding work in securing critical infrastructure and restoring peace in regions that had proven impossible to stabilise in previous operations.
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