{"id":137680,"date":"2026-04-14T13:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/monica-juma-defends-kenyas-role-in-dr-congo-haiti-as-she-exits-security-role\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T13:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:02:42","slug":"monica-juma-defends-kenyas-role-in-dr-congo-haiti-as-she-exits-security-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/monica-juma-defends-kenyas-role-in-dr-congo-haiti-as-she-exits-security-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Monica Juma defends Kenya\u2019s role in DR Congo, Haiti as she exits security role"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 14 \u2014 Outgoing National Security Advisor Monica Juma has strongly defended Kenya\u2019s involvement in regional and international security interventions, arguing that the country\u2019s engagement in conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti is rooted in both national interest and a broader commitment to global stability.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during her farewell at the \u201cHanding Over the Baton\u201d<\/em> ceremony held at the University of Nairobi, Juma dismissed criticism of Kenya\u2019s participation in foreign missions, framing it as both a moral and strategic obligation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe argument around participation is really an argument about being part of that humanity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens in one part of the world affects another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juma emphasized that Kenya\u2019s security and economic future are deeply interconnected with the stability of its region, citing ongoing engagements in eastern Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia, as well as maritime interests in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur prosperity is inextricably linked to our region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot be a democratic state without a neighborhood that is aligned with those same norms.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that Kenya\u2019s involvement in peacekeeping and stabilization missions has historically been driven by the need to safeguard both national and regional interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is our logic in engagement in DR Congo and Sudan. A secure Sudan is good for us,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Interconnected efforts<\/h2>\n

Juma also defended Kenya\u2019s leadership of the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti, arguing that global peace efforts are interconnected.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace in any part of the world contributes positively to security in other parts of the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why we are in Haiti. A stable Western Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere is good for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her remarks come amid ongoing domestic debate over the risks and benefits of deploying Kenyan security personnel beyond the African continent.<\/p>\n

Positioning Kenya as a key global security actor, Juma said the country contributes significantly to international peace efforts relative to its size.<\/p>\n

\u201cComparatively, for a country our size, Kenya makes some of the greatest contributions in security,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

Kenya has been involved in multiple peacekeeping and stabilization missions, particularly in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, and continues to play a leading diplomatic and security role on the continent.<\/p>\n

Juma spoke as she formally handed over office to her deputy, Joseph Boinnet, ahead of her departure to Vienna, where she will assume leadership of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and serve as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna.<\/p>\n

Her appointment by UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres marks a significant milestone for Kenya\u2019s presence in global governance.<\/p>\n

She called for sustained international cooperation in addressing emerging security threats, including disinformation and transnational crime, warning that no country can act in isolation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 14 \u2014 Outgoing National Security Advisor Monica Juma has strongly defended Kenya\u2019s involvement in regional and international security interventions, arguing that the country\u2019s engagement in conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti is rooted in both national interest and a broader commitment to global stability. Speaking during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137680\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}