Haiti mission funding secured until September 2025, says Foreign Affairs PS Sing'Oei
Sing'Oei stated that the transition of the mission to a full UN Mission to ensure financial sustainability is a key priority to which Kenya and all partners are committed.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei on Wednesday said that the UN Trust Fund for Haiti has sufficient resources to sustain the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission led by Kenyan police officers until September 2025.
This is despite the decision by US President Donald Trump to freeze over $13 million (Sh1.7 billion) in funding due to a 90-day review of foreign aid contributions.
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In a statement, Sing'Oei stated that the transition of the mission to a full UN Mission to ensure financial sustainability is a key priority to which Kenya and all partners are committed.
"While undisbursed US contribution to the Trust Fund of $15 million has been paused as per presidential directive, the Fund has sufficient resources to continue underwriting the mission until the end of September 2025," he said.
The mission, established in October 2023 by the UN Security Council Resolution 2699, aims to bolster security efforts in Haiti amid rising gang violence.
The MSS mission, led by Kenya, includes police deployments from several countries, such as Guatemala, Jamaica, El Salvador, the Bahamas, and Belize.
According to Sing'Oei, by the end of 2024, the trust fund had received pledges totalling approximately $110.3 million (Sh14.2 billion) from nations including the USA, Canada, France, Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Algeria.
President William Ruto’s National Security Advisor Monica Juma had earlier said that there are sufficient funds in the United Nations Trust Fund to continue funding the Kenyan-led multinational security support mission in Haiti.
Mission a priority
She noted that the peace mission in Haiti is a priority despite the US government pausing funding of Sh1.7 billion.
"It is true the US contribution to the UN Trust Fund for MSS Haiti is on pause, affecting about $15M in support. It is also true that the MSS mission is a priority and a beneficiary of the waiver. Meanwhile, there are sufficient funds in the UN Trust Fund for Haiti from other countries (approximately $110M) to continue operations," said Juma.
The fund was created at Washington's request to encourage contributions from member states, but many countries are still hesitant due to donor fatigue. Although there was initial interest, the security mission remains underfunded and is operating with only a small portion of the planned 2,500 personnel.
Recently, 70 Salvadoran soldiers arrived in Port-au-Prince, although they are not combat troops. Instead, they are aviation specialists tasked with medical evacuations, a role previously handled by US and Dominican military aircraft.
The freeze on US funds is part of President Trump's broader review of foreign aid, aimed at ensuring that assistance aligns with his "America First" policy.
In Haiti, where the US is the largest donor, this freeze has led to clinics providing HIV/AIDS treatment suspending operations and security advisers supporting both the Haiti National Police and the Kenya-led mission being laid off, as reported by the Miami Herald.
Chronic instability
During his Senate confirmation hearing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Kenya for leading the Haiti mission and indicated support. However, neither he nor Trump has confirmed whether the US will continue funding the operation.
Haiti has faced chronic instability, dictatorship, and natural disasters over the years, making it the poorest nation in the Americas.
In 2024, the country saw a record number of neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas fall under gang control, despite the presence of foreign forces and a new US-backed government.
As gangs overtook neighbourhoods and committed some of the worst massacres in recent history, they worsened the humanitarian crisis, forcing tens of thousands of Haitians to flee their homes.
The United Nations reported that over 5,600 people were killed in gang violence last year, marking an increase from the previous two years, with more than 1 million Haitians now displaced.
In response, Kenya has pledged to send 1,000 police officers as part of its commitment to lead the mission.
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