President William Ruto on Thursday, February 6, 2025, held a second phone conversation with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio since President Donald Trump was sworn into office.
In a statement, the President said that he had a telephone conversation with Rubio on various issues of mutual concern for Kenya and the US.
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President Ruto said that the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the mutual commitment to strengthening the existing cooperation.
The two also discussed the United Nations-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.
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Ruto added that the US has exempted its support for the MSS Mission from the broader pause on federal assistance following the discussion.
“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, recognizing the critical need to sustain momentum for the mission and its role in stabilizing Haiti and restoring order,” said Ruto.
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Secretary Rubio and the head of state also discussed regional peace and security in Africa, particularly the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including the upcoming joint meeting between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Call between Ruto and Rubio
On her part, Spokesperson for the State Department Tammy Bruce added that Rubio thanked Ruto for Kenya’s leadership of the MSS Mission and its role in promoting peace in DRC.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to thank him for Kenya’s leadership of the Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti, which remains fully operational, and Kenya’s role in promoting peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Bruce.
Also Read: US Retracts Trump’s Order to Freeze Haiti Funding
Earlier in the week President Trump’s administration announced that it had frozen financial contributions to the MSS mission, but the State Department on Wednesday said it was maintaining most of the aid.
In a statement, the US Embassy in Nairobi confirmed that the country had retracted the freeze order noting that the US would continue to support the mission.
“The United States continues to support the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in his call with President Ruto on January 27, we are grateful for Kenya’s leadership of this mission,” read the statement in part.
The call between Ruto and Rubio happened on the same day Kenya deployed more than 100 additional police officers to Haiti, after Washington backtracked on withdrawing support for the mission to the troubled nation.
The Ministry of Interior in a statement on Thursday said that 144 officers had been deployed Tuesday morning, bringing the total number in the country to more than 700.
Additional Kenyan officers deployed to Haiti
CS Kipchumba Murkomen said that he saw off the additional contingent comprising 120 men and 24 women to bolster the 600 officers deployed earlier who have already made commendable progress in reducing gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
“Other countries, notably Guatemala and El Salvador, have in recent weeks deployed additional officers. Together with Jamaican and Belizean troops, and supported by Haitian police, we’re making concerted efforts to establish order,” said Murkomen.
Also Read: Ruto Advisor Responds to Trump Stopping Haiti Mission Funding
The deployment of Kenyan officers in Haiti is part of the MSS mission, authorized by the UN Security Council (UNSC) under Resolution 2699 of 2023, with Kenya taking a lead role.
UNSC gave the green light in October 2023 to the MSS mission designed to support Haiti’s authorities in their fight against criminal gangs, which control swaths of the country.
Guterres said that more money, equipment and personnel are needed for the international force, adding that any further delays could allow gangs to overrun the entire Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and risk the catastrophic collapse of Haiti’s security institutions.
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