President Joe Biden hails William Ruto's 'bold leadership'

US President Joe Biden hailed William Ruto's leadership on Thursday, congratulating him on his intervention in politically unstable Haiti.

President Ruto's presence at the White House marks the first state visit to the United States by an African leader for more than 15 years.

"We are going to provide logistics, intelligence and equipment. In fact, some of the equipment has already arrived. Kenya is strengthening its police force and other countries are planning to do the same._ The United States is going to support the collective effort in this area. Of course, Kenya is not going it alone. We are working with Congress to provide $300 million for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, and an additional $60 million for equipment support. We have also received and continue to receive significant contributions from other partners. President Ruto and I agree that the Haitian people deserve better, that they deserve peace and security....", said US President Joe Biden.

The 1,000 Kenyan officers preparing to deploy to Haiti will be part of a multinational force backed by $300 million in U.S. support, but not American troops.

"Kenya believes that the responsibility of peace and security anywhere in the world, including in Haiti, is the collective responsibility of all nations and all peoples, " Ruto said.

The Biden administration has praised Kenya for stepping up in Haiti when so few other countries have agreed to do so. Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation and has been mired in political instability and natural disasters for decades.

The Haiti mission will also include support from the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh.