Third Way Alliance party leader and lawyer Ekuro Aukot has voiced his concerns about President William Ruto's visit to the United States, saying the visit does not serve the interests of Kenyan citizens.
The politician believes that Ruto's visit to the US has been sensationalized and that American leadership is portraying him as a defender of their interests in Kenya and Africa.
Ekuro expressed his concerns, particularly regarding Ruto's proposal to send troops to Haiti, which he views as misguided and not aligned with the interests of Kenyan citizens.
"I followed President William Ruto's visit to the US. My observation is that it has been turned into a circus. The American Leadership is projecting him as their greatest defender of American interests in Kenya and Africa.
"They even lauded our president's misguided suggestion to send troops to Haiti. There was nothing about the interests of Kenyans. The other African leaders present are embarrassed. What did you observe?" he stated on his X account.
I followed President @WilliamsRuto's visit to the US. My observation is that it has been turned into a circus. The American Leadership is projecting him as their greatest defender of American interests in Kenya and Africa. They even lauded our president's misguided suggestion to…
— Dr. Ekuru Aukot (@EAukot) September 22, 2023
Ruto's trip to US, Haiti proposal
Ruto's trip to the US has spanned over 10 days and has included meetings with various tech leaders, as well as participation in the 78th United Nations General Assembly session in New York.
During one of the United Nations security meetings, Ruto advocated for the council's formal support of a security assistance mission to Haiti.
He expressed Kenya's readiness to lead a multinational security support mission to Haiti and urged the United Nations to expedite the necessary framework to facilitate this mission.
Ruto's statement followed Kenya's dispatch of an assessment team to Haiti earlier, with the intention of deploying 1,000 of its police officers to the country.
Notably, Haiti, with a population of over 11 million people, has only approximately 10,000 police officers, making assistance crucial in addressing the issue of violent gangs that have taken control of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In response to Ruto's statements, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken praised Kenya's leadership, emphasizing that under Ruto's guidance, Kenya has emerged as a champion of regional peace and security.
Blinken commended Kenya's democratic progress and efforts to combat corruption and misuse of public resources.
