Treasury reveals Sh2.1 billion spent on Haiti peacekeeping mission
By Lucy Mumbi |
The spent funds are contrary to previous assurances that taxpayer funds would not be used to finance the mission.
Treasury has revealed that the Kenyan government has spent Sh2.1 billion on the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.
A letter from the Treasury to the National Assembly shows that a total of Sh17.6 billion was spent under Article 223, which allows the government to make expenditures without prior parliamentary approval.
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Out of this, Sh2 billion was earmarked for Kenya’s peacekeeping efforts in Haiti. The spent funds are contrary to previous assurances that taxpayer funds would not be used to finance the mission.
The disbursement, made on September 18, has raised concerns, particularly about the adequacy of funding for the mission.
Reports indicate that Kenyan troops are facing difficult conditions in Haiti, with critics highlighting the contradiction between earlier statements and the actual spending of taxpayer money.
In a response to the concerns, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi clarified that although the funds are paid from Kenya’s exchequer, they would be reimbursed by the United Nations.
“This money we are spending on behalf of the UN, we are the ones making the payment so the money comes from our exchequer because these are our officers,” Mbadi told Citizen Digital.
"So we pay and they refund, but now we have to recognise the expenditure because it was not in the budget. The law says two months should not elapse, and when we do supplementary budgeting, we will reflect it as both income and expenditure.”
The revelation comes a few months after President William Ruto, in a meeting with former Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille in Nairobi, called for greater international support to ensure the success of the mission.
“We are asking the international community to match their commitment and their pledges with the necessary action for us to be able to complete the task ahead of us,” Ruto said.
Kenya has been leading the peacekeeping mission in Haiti since June, focusing on addressing gang violence and restoring security to the troubled nation.
So far, 400 police officers have been deployed to the region with President Ruto promising 600 more, bringing Kenya’s total contingent to 1,000.
The officers are part of a broader multinational effort aimed at stabilising the Caribbean nation.
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