Dr. Opy Moturi

It has been nearly 6 weeks since Kenya deployed her gallant police officers to Haiti, to help the Haitian National Police reclaim territories under the control of a 12,000 member gang, as well as guard critical infrastructure . Kenya pledged to lead a 2500-troop mission, that will have officers drawn from Chad, Jamaica, Bahamas and a few more countries. Out of this, Kenya’s contribution is 1000 police officers, which is 40% of the entire troop number. Kenya's leadership of the mission means that we have to lead from the front. This is why our country was the first to send her officers to the battle lines in Port au Prince, a serious gamble by the President and the Interior Ministry considering how aggressive the actions of the gangs have been. They are so ruthless to a point where they forced the former Prime Minister, Ariel Henry to resign, after taking over control of the main airport and making it impossible for him to land back in the country after a foreign mission. However, our police have distinguished themselves so far. Under the command of Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police, Godfrey Otunge who is the Mission Commander, Kenyan troops have scored three main important wins. 1. They supported the Haitian National Police in launching an operation that helped reclaim the country's biggest hospital, the State University Hospital of Haiti (HUEH). 2. On 17th July, our troops yet again launched a successful operation that resulted in the recapture of the Auorite Portuaire Nationale (APN) from gangs who had controlled it for almost 5 months since March 2024. 3. The third very victory by the Kenyan officers in my opinion is that their presence is forcing the gang leaders to consider coming to the table and negotiate peace. Before the officers arrival, the gang leaders were issuing threats, warning the Kenyan troops of bad things if they dared step in Haiti. The change of heart can only be interpreted to mean that the gangs feel weight of our officers, and pressure will increase as more of our officers land in the Caribbean country. We will continue to monitor the situation in Haiti while praying that our officers succeed in their mission and return back home to their families, safe and sound.

An unpopular opinion! If Kenyans wanted Ruto to go wherever, 25th June 2024 was the day. That was the climax! The minute protestors went back home that evening, it was the end of that story and imagining that that defining moment can be recreated in the next couple of weeks is unrealistic. The hype around nane nane, tisa tisa, kumi kumi etc is just wishful thinking! The only people it’s disadvantaging are those who do businesses in town and can’t stay open on such a day out of fear. It is unfair that we continue subjecting traders to a volatile situation which will only make their financial situation worse, yet they are innocent Kenyans who are going through what everyone else is facing. At the beginning everyone was very supportive of the protests those traders included, but this can’t be done in perpetuity. It’s got to stop somewhere. A good dancer knows when to leave the stage. The appointment of cabinet secretaries this morning has marked the end of that phase, and the most we can do now is wait and see if they will work and deliver as per Kenyans expectations, and in line with the promises the administration has made. Meanwhile as we watch, it is important that we register to vote, so that in 2027 we cast our vote for that person we will each find suitable to lead the country. And if it’s about sustaining pressure and keeping the government on its toes till 2027, there is got to be another way. There are various other platforms that people can use to agitate.