Kenya's President William Ruto has affirmed that the deployment of police officers to Haiti remains underway, directly contradicting statements made by his Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, who indicated the mission had been halted.

President Ruto disclosed that he spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a telephone conversation, reiterating Kenya's commitment to dispatch its police force to the strife-torn nation.

This declaration follows closely after Kenya's foreign office initially announced the abandonment of the mission due to the deteriorating conditions in Haiti, which included the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

"Due to the complete breakdown of law and order and the subsequent resignation of Haiti's Prime Minister, there has been a significant shift in circumstances," remarked Korir Sing'oei, Kenya's Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, as reported by AFP on Tuesday.

However, Dr Ruto countered this assertion, asserting that the mission remains on track, with Kenya poised to take a leading role in providing security assistance to the Caribbean nation.

"I assured Secretary Blinken that Kenya will take leadership of the UN Security Support Mission in Haiti to restore peace and security in Haiti as soon as the Presidential Council is in place under an agreed process," said Dr Ruto on his X account.

Haiti has been grappling with rampant gang violence for over two years, a crisis exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry's recent visit to Kenya coincided with the eruption of fresh unrest in Haiti. The purpose of his visit was to reignite discussions concerning a potential UN-backed police deployment aimed at curbing the country's escalating gang violence.