President William Ruto has justified Kenya's decision to send 1,000 police personnel to Port-au-Prince as part of the United Nations Security Council-backed security mission in Haiti.

While speaking to the press with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, D.C., the head of state was challenged to explain the decision to send officers to Haiti while Kenya is still trying to fight banditry in the Rift Valley.

PHOTO | COURTESY President Ruto 

"Explain the geo-political goal; Haiti is roughly 12,000 kilometers from Nairobi. A lot of schools in the North Rift counties remain closed because of banditry, so why are you committing our national police force to Haiti? Journalist Ayub Abdikadir posed.

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"Where is your priority given that security is a pillar under your manifesto? Isn't it ironical that you want to put a fire out in Haiti when our own home is burning?"

In response, Ruto stated that, despite sending troops to Haiti, Kenya has remained committed to addressing the issue of banditry at home, adding that the government has deployed 3,000 military personnel and 2,000 police officers to the North Rift to combat and eliminate the banditry threat.

PHOTO | COURTESY President Ruto 

"I made a commitment to the people of Kenya to sort out insecurity in the North Rift. I have followed that with action. As we speak there are 3,000 military officers and 2,000 police officers in the North Rift," said Ruto.

 "We have also renovated 15 schools and reopened 20 schools that were closed. The exercise is still ongoing."

Ruto then underlined Kenya's role in improving security within its boundaries while also reiterating the country's larger obligation to do the same outside its borders.

PHOTO | COURTESY President Ruto 

"We have made tremendous progress in making sure that we create security at home but that does not take away our responsibility. Even as we deployed troops and police to sort out the banditry problem we still deployed 1,000 troops to DRC Congo because that is our neighbour," he said.

"We have deployed 5,000 troops in Somalia because that is equally our responsibility and Haiti should not be an exception. Deploying 1,000 troops to Haiti speaks of the same belief and commitment."

Approximately 200 Kenyan police officers were deployed to Haiti this week as part of the UN operation in Port-au-Prince.