US funding freeze won’t harm Kenya-led Haiti mission: Mwaura

Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Wednesday said the operations of the Kenya-led multinational security support mission in Haiti won’t be jeopardised after the United States froze its financial contributions to the force’s United Nations fund.

The move, which stops $13.3 million in pending aid, was announced by U.N. Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Tuesday.

“The U.S. had committed $15 million to the trust fund; $1.7 million of that had already been spent, so $13.3 million is now frozen,” Dujarric told journalists. “We received an official notification from the U.S. asking for an immediate stop work order on their contribution.”

According to Mwaura, some $110.3 million had been pledged by several countries towards the U.N. Trust Fund for Haiti, including the U.S., Canada, France, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Algeria as of the end of 2024.

Of this, $85 million had been received by the Trust Fund.

Kenya’s government spokesperson in a statement said despite the freeze, the fund remained “well-resourced” to support the mission through September.

“Kenya and its partners remain fully committed to ensuring the mission transitions to a full U.N.-led operation to guarantee its long-term financial sustainability and security mandate,” added Mwaura.

The security mission was approved by the U.N. Security Council in October 2023 to support Haiti's authorities in fighting criminal gangs in the Caribbean country.

It is not a United Nations operation and currently relies on voluntary contributions.

In addition to the $15 million transfer to the fund, the U.S. had contributed over $300 million in funds and equipment directly to the MSS, including dozens of armoured vehicles.

The funding freeze is part of newly elected President Donald Trump's push to slash Washington’s overseas aid, including closing operations of the government's main aid agency, USAID.

Just last month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince could become overrun by gangs if the international community does not step up aid to the security mission.

Guterres said more money, equipment and personnel were needed for the force, adding that further delays risk the “catastrophic” collapse of Haiti's security institutions.