Friday, May 24, 2024 - United States President Joe Biden will disburse Ksh8 billion to Kenya today despite tough opposition from Republicans.
This money will partly be used
for purchasing military equipment for Kenyan police officers being deployed to
Haiti.
In March, it emerged that US
lawmakers had blocked a request from the State Department to disburse the
funds, arguing that the mission in Haiti was not made clear to the House.
To ensure that the mission
continues as earlier planned, Biden bypassed Congress by using the
Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to fast-track the disbursement.
The money among other things
will be used for weapons that the Kenyan police will use to suppress Haiti
gangs who have taken control of 80 per cent of the Caribbean nation.
According to reports, Kenya will
be supplied with armoured vehicles, rifles and adequate ammunition to fight the
gangs.
The money is also being used to
facilitate operational logistics as well as accommodation for the Kenyan
police.
On Monday, the Kenyan Government
revealed that the officers would also receive monetary compensation for their
efforts in Haiti.
The move by Biden to use PDA to
fund the Kenya-led mission in Haiti has been vehemently opposed by Republicans
led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul and Senate
Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jim Risch.
Among the concerns raised is
that the weapons being given to Kenyan police will be from the Pentagon
stockpile.
Republicans fear that this will
significantly dent the stockpile making it hard for the US to support other
missions they consider more important than Haiti.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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