NAIROBI, Feb 7 (NNN-KBC) — President William Ruto has announced that the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti will continue to receive financial assistance from the United States government.
The announcement comes amid uncertainty following the recent decision by the Trump administration to suspend financial support for numerous programmes. Ruto says the security mission is not subject to the recently announced freeze on US foreign aid. He made the revelation following a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ruto noted that Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to supporting the restoration of peace in Haiti.
“Our discussion confirmed that the United States has specifically exempted its support for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti from the broader pause on federal assistance, recognising the critical need to sustain momentum for the mission and its role in stabilising Haiti and restoring order,” he stated.
“We reviewed bilateral relations between Kenya and the US and reaffirmed our mutual commitment to strengthening our existing cooperation,” he added.
Additionally, Ruto highlighted that regional peace and security in Africa, particularly the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), shaped the agenda of their talks. This included the upcoming joint meeting between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. — NNN-KBC