The US government wants President William Ruto to take action on continual unexplained abductions and killings of Kenyans, even as he sought Washington’s hand to adjust the mandate of the Haiti security mission Nairobi is leading.
A spate of abductions and disappearances have been witnessed in Kenya, following the unprecedented protests mounted by Gen-Zs, which forced President Ruto to withdraw the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
And the US which was initially accused of looking the other way has issued two statements since, asking Nairobi to investigate and tame the vice.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his call to Ruto on Thursday said the Kenyan government should account for the abductions and killings of Kenyans under the watch of the security forces.
He also asked the President to continuously engage the Gen-Zs, civil society and other stakeholders with a view of finding a lasting solution to continued kidnappings five months since the protests began.
As of the end August, the Law Society of Kenya had documented 72 people that had been abducted, released, or were still missing in relation to the June protests that were experienced across the country over the Finance Bill 2024. Police officially deny a role in the abductions.
A section of civil society including Human Rights Watch have raised concerns over Kenya’s Human Rights record.
“The ongoing deadly crackdown on protesters further taints Kenya’s already dismal human rights record,” said Otsieno Namwaya, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
Mr Blinken had said this before but the US Ambassador in Nairobi-Meg Whitman had come under criticism after the US embassy did not append its signature to a joint statement, by Western embassies in Nairobi last week, which called for investigations into the spate of abductions.
Mr Blinken placed what could be his last call to Dr Ruto as Secretary of State, as his President Joe Biden is set to leave office in January to be replaced by Donald Trump. Yet the next 70 days could be crucial for Nairobi which wants the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti (MSS) re-authorised as a peacekeeping mission.
As it is, MSS relies on voluntary contributions from UN member states, even though it runs on a mandate approved by the Council. In September, the Council unanimously extended its mandate by a year.
However, it is not clear whether President Trump will support Kenya’s mission to Haiti. He has previously warned US will not fund foreign entities that do not directly benefit the US.
Dr Ruto, nonetheless, has proposed that the MSS be turned into a peacekeeping mission, which would allow it to draw regular funding from the UN kitty. Such a proposal would require the approval of the UN Security Council, including all the P5 that comprise of the US, UK, France, China and Russia. The Council had rejected the suggestion before, given the way previous peacekeeping missions in Haiti underperformed.
As it is, MSS relies on voluntary contributions from UN member states, even though it runs on a mandate approved by the Council. In September, the Council unanimously extended its mandate by a year.
However, it is not clear whether President Trump will support Kenya’s mission to Haiti. He has previously warned US will not fund foreign entities that do not directly benefit the US.
