In an exclusive interview with VOA shortly after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden during his official state visit to the United States last week, Ruto said the East African nation ‘’will show up in Haiti’’ as it has done for 47 other countries to support peace efforts, noting that ‘’Haiti is not going to be an exception.’’
“We believe that the responsibility in Haiti belongs to all countries, and all people, who believe in self-determination, who believe in democracy, who believe in the rule of law and who believe in peace,” Ruto said.
The Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince has come under relentless attacks by violent gang groups who control an estimated 80% of the city, the Associated Press said. The nation of roughly 11 million people has been without a political authority since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and the forced resignation of its embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry last month.
Ruto said his cabinet has complied with a Kenyan court order seeking an agreement between both countries to facilitate the deployment. He added that he went a step further to obtain an official document from the Transitional Presidential Council in Haiti recognizing a deal signed with the former Haitian prime minister in Nairobi in March. That deal will see Nairobi dispatch 1,000 troops to lead a United Nations approved mission to Haiti.
‘’I have it in writing that they (the Transitional Presidential Council) confirm that the current administration recognizes that agreement, and it is on that basis that we will be deploying our troops and also in compliance with the U.N. regulations and U.N. requirements,’’ Ruto said.
“So we are very clear, and I am very clear in my mind that Kenya has satisfied all legal, constitutional and international obligations to facilitate the deployment of this police contingent.”
The Kenyan President did not give a definite date on when the first contingent will deploy only saying that deployment will take place ‘’when we have satisfied ourselves that all the conditions, both in Haiti, on the ground and with the Transitional Presidential Council have been met.”
Ruto dispelled the notion that Nairobi has turned a blind eye to conflicts on the continent like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Sudan. He mentioned the presence of some “5,000 troops in Somalia for the last 12 years,’’ and an unspecified number of troops in the DRC and Sudan.
“We believe that there is no military solution to the challenge we have in Sudan. There is only one chance, and that is through dialogue,” Ruto stated.
“And we want to make it a Sudanese conversation led by Sudanese and an inclusive process that’s not just limited to military competence. We must have women, civil society, and political parties participating, because that's the only chance we have to make peace,” he added.
U.S. to review AGOA
Ruto also weighed in on the flagship U.S.-Africa trade program, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, commonly known as AGOA, of which Kenya is a part.
Asked if he would want to see the current program reviewed, Ruto said that he thinks “AGOA is working pretty well even in its current form.’’
In November 2023, the U.S. administration officials alongside Congress, signaled their resolve to improve the program, before its re-authorization when it expires in September 2025.
"We don't just want to extend AGOA, we want to work with the United States Congress to make it even better," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a video message to U.S. officials and African trade ministers meeting in Johannesburg to discuss AGOA's future.
Reinforcing the economic value of Kenyan exports to the U.S. under AGOA, as an example, Ruto said last year, “Kenya exported $544 million, close to 70 - 80 billion (Kenyan Shillings) worth of goods to the United States. Quota free, duty free,” he added.
“I think last year we added 12,000 jobs under this (AGOA) program. And I am very happy with the outcome of my conversation both at (Capitol) Hill and the White House,” he said while expressing gratitude to President Biden “for the support that he has given for the renewal of AGOA, which is not going to be just a Kenyan facility.”
“It is an African facility that will support the whole continent access the market for our products so that we can create jobs back at home,” said the 57-year-old president.
Cost of U.S. Visit
The Kenyan leader also addressed criticism surrounding the cost of his U.S. trip, pegged by some media outlets at $1.5 million, which he dismissed.
“There are people who will answer those questions, but I can tell you from where I sit that the numbers being bandied around are ridiculous to say the least.”
He added, “I am very careful about the resources that I spend. In fact, I have cut down on funding to my office. I have cut down on funding to different government agencies. In fact, I have reduced by 30% recurrent expenditures in this budget so that we can live within our means, as I have said.”
VOA Swahili Service reporter Hubbah Abdi contributed to this report, and some information in this story came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
Forum