Senator Karen Nyamu, the nominee, is adamant that Kenya stands to gain significantly from heading the security mission to stabilize the unstable Caribbean island of Haiti, which the UN Security Council supports.
Nyamu, the vice chair of the senate's committee on national security, defense, and foreign relations, claims that Kenya's willingness to lead the mission will first show the rest of the world that Nairobi is a trusted friend.
"Kenya has a history of participating in peacekeeping efforts, and we have done so in nations like Somalia. Other countries besides Kenya are also participating in this security mission, she added in an interview that aired on K24 TV on Friday.
"And what is in it for us? Kenya comes out as a dependable ally which is a very big political gain for us. We are making a very big statement that Kenya is a dependable nation."
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She continued by saying that the mission's funders will provide sophisticated training programs to Kenyan police before they are sent to Haiti. The skills and knowledge learned in the courses continued Nyamu will help the officers throughout their careers in the military.
"Before these policemen go to Haiti, they will be trained. Let's face it we might not be equipped at the moment and that is why we don't have a set date for deployment but the training will be good for our forces," the Senator said.
Nyamu pointed out that Kenya will profit monetarily from leading the trip to Haiti.
"Financial incentives are also involved. As we speak right now the US has and other countries who want to support the mission have committed 200 million dollars to this mission," she said.
"So there is a whole lot we have to gain. Kenya is not going to war, our officers will not be carrying guns to counter-attack the gangs. They are going to man establishments like airports, hospitals and banks; they are going to reinforce law and order. They are not going on the offensive."
When questioned about why other countries like the US are said to have partially withdrawn their troops from Haiti, Nyamu conceded that they have.
"There is a report of the US withdrawing but they have not completely withdrawn their forces. We also have Canada who are still holding operations in Haiti," she said.
"We are part of a global community and we cannot refuse to collaborate or sit back and village and watch Haiti go down. Let's go there, partner with them and bring in political and economic stability in the country and then they can hold an election and insecurity can be a thing of the past."
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