(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Some Kenyan police officers currently deployed in Haiti have gone several weeks without pay, despite President Joe Biden handing over millions in taxpayer money to support the seemingly crumbling security force.
The payment delay may raise questions about what happened to the $100 million Biden funneled to the corruption- and poverty-stricken Caribbean nation.
According to three officers cited by Reuters, 20 of the approximately 400 Kenyan police officers in Haiti submitted resignation letters over two months due to “pay delays and poor conditions.”
National police chief Douglas Kanja disputed these claims, saying officers had been paid “up to the end of October.” He did not specify whether the officers have been paid for November, particularly given the approaching holiday season.
The pay delay scandal follows closely on the heels of Biden’s approval of nearly $110 million in security and police assistance to Haiti, according to the Department of State. This move bypassed Republican lawmakers, who had placed a hold on the funds.
“The security situation in Haiti remains untenable due to violence perpetrated by violent gangs, and the people of Haiti cannot wait,” the official said, according to Reuters.
The funding included $95 million for security support and $15 million for the Haitian National Police, which has been unable to tackle violent gangs.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch criticized the Biden administration for overriding Congress’s hold on the funds.
“The Biden Administration’s choice to override the hold I had placed on U.S. taxpayer funding for the ill-conceived Haiti MSS (Multinational Security Support Mission) is extremely disappointing,” Risch said.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul affirmed that the funds were put on hold because “a lot more details” were needed.
The liberal Washington Post reported that Kenya has spent over $2 billion Kenyan shillings ($15 million) on the mission so far. The U.S. has funneled over $5.1 billion in Haitian aid thus far.
“This money we are spending on behalf of the U.N., we are the ones making the payment so the money comes from our exchequer because these are our officers,” Kenyan Treasury Minister John Mbadi told local media last week, according to The Washington Post.
