Kenya’s U.S.-backed Haiti plan is fraught with political risks

NAIROBI — A $100 million U.S.-backed plan for Kenya to lead a multinational security force to help Haiti restore order in the face of mounting gang violence is attracting growing criticism. Kenyans, Haitians and foreign affairs experts on Capitol Hill have all questioned the wisdom of the proposal, arguing that the intervention is fraught with risks.

The Caribbean nation of Haiti has been gripped by chaos and violent crime since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The unelected government has struggled to maintain order as an estimated 200 gangs have taken control of 90% of its biggest city Port au Prince. Prime Minister Ariel Henry appealed to the international community last year for a “specialized armed force” to help break the gangs’ control and the United Nations promised to support Haiti.

Kenya’s President William Ruto told the UN General Assembly in New York last week that international solidarity and collective action are needed to address Haiti’s surging violence. He said, “Kenya is ready to play its full part” in helping Haiti fight the gangs and restore order. The plan to dispatch 1,000 policemen to Haiti is backed by the Biden administration, which is offering logistics including intelligence, airlift, and medical support to the mission. Kenya would lead the operation, joined by Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Antigua and Baruda who have pledged personnel.

But some Kenyans have expressed their disapproval over the plan arguing that Ruto is acting at the behest of Western hegemony. Mungai Wa Regina, a youth leader and a political activist in Nairobi, told Semafor Africa that Kenya’s move would likely violate Haiti’s sovereignty. “I find the decision to be ill-informed coming at a time when cases of insecurity at our border with Somalia are ostensibly rising,” he said.

There’s also a risk for Ruto, that the funding promised by the Biden administration may get stalled on Capitol Hill. “There are lots of questions up on the Hill about who does what with this $100 million, they’re going to need more details,” one expert on U.S. foreign affairs, told Semafor Africa. “This a fraught and complex situation in Haiti,” the person said speaking anonymously because they do not have permission to speak publicly.

Since Kenya announced its intention to deploy troops to Haiti, civil society organizations and human rights activists in the Caribbean nation have come out and rejected the offer, terming the intervention “an attack on the right of the Haitian people to self-determination and sovereignty.”

The plan also requires approval from the UN Security Council.