Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu holds a strong conviction that Kenya stands to make tremendous gains by leading the United Nations Security Council-backed security mission to restore order to the troubled Caribbean island of Haiti.
As the Vice Chair of the Senate’s National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, Nyamu says that Kenya’s willingness to take charge of the mission, will firstly demonstrate to the world that Nairobi is a dependable ally.
“Kenya has a history of peace keeping and we have been involved in countries such as Somalia. This is a security mission supported by the UN and other countries apart from Kenya are also involved,” she said in an interview on K24 TV on Friday.
“And what is in it for us? Kenya comes out as a dependable ally which is a very big political gain for us. We are making a very big statement that Kenya is a dependable nation.”
She added that prior to being deployed to Haiti, Kenyan police will likewise benefit from advanced training courses facilitated by the mission’s financiers. The officers, Nyamu went on, will continue to benefit from the skills and knowledge acquired from the courses throughout their careers in service.
“Before these policemen go to Haiti, they will be trained. Let’s face it we might not be equipped at the moment and that is why we don’t have a set date for deployment but the training will be good for our forces,” the Senator said.
Nyamu correspondingly pointed out that Kenya will also gain financially from spearheading the Haiti mission.
“Financial incentives are also involved. As we speak right now the US has and other countries who want to support the mission have committed 200 million dollars to this mission,” she said.
“So there is a whole lot we have to gain. Kenya is not going to war, our officers will not be carrying guns to counter-attack the gangs. They are going to man establishments like airports, hospitals and banks; they are going to reinforce law and order. They are not going on the offensive.”
When asked why foreign nations like the US have reportedly withdrawn their forces from Haiti, Nyamu ceded that they have done so but not completely.
“There is a report of the US withdrawing but they have not completely withdrawn their forces. We also have Canada who are still holding operations in Haiti,” she said.
“We are part of a global community, and we cannot refuse to collaborate or sit back and village and watch Haiti go down. Let’s go there, partner with them and bring in political and economic stability in the country and then they can hold an election and insecurity can be a thing of the past.”
