A Kenyan court has temporarily halted the government’s decision to send police to Haiti as part of a UN-backed operation to de-escalate the gang-infested Caribbean country’s situation.
The UN Security Council approved a global security force for the unrest-plagued nation, with Nairobi offering to provide 1,000 police personnel.
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A Nairobi court issued a temporary injunction against the deployment of security personnel in a complaint filed by opposition legislator Ekuru Aukot. Aukot argued that the deployment was illegal since it was not authorized by law or treaty.
Aukot, a lawyer who worked on Kenya’s 2010 constitution revision, claimed that while Kenya was sending police overseas, it was failing to address instability at home.
Enock Mwita of the High Court made a decision, “I am satisfied that the application and petition raise substantial issues of national importance and public interest that require urgent consideration.”
A media house who have witnessed the ruling states, “A conservatory order is hereby issued restraining the respondents from deploying police officers to Haiti or any other country until 24th October 2023.”
The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti, has been in upheaval for years as armed gangs have seized control of large portions of the country and unleashed horrific bloodshed. The nation’s economy and public health system are both in ruins.
Kenya’s deployment plans have not yet been finalized since parliament must still give the maneuver the legal approval it needs.
The operation, which is supported by the UN and was initially given a one-year approval, calls for Kenyan police to go on the attack alongside their Haitian counterparts, who are outnumbered and outgunned by gang members.
According to the UN resolution enacted last week, the force intends to “operational support to the Haitian National Police, including building its capacity through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations.”
The team will also work to provide the necessary framework for elections, which have not been held in Haiti since 2016.
Kenya’s participation has drawn criticism domestically, with many people doubting the logic of such a perilous operation.
Rights watchdogs further claim that Kenyan police have a history of abusing people with sometimes fatal force and that they present an unacceptable risk in Haiti, where foreign forces have already engaged in abusive behavior.
President William Ruto has defended the deployment, describing it as a “humanitarian mission.”
Kithure Kindiki, the interior minister, stated on Sunday that the government will make sure to obtain the necessary legislative clearances and will not take “any shortcuts.”
“Kenyans should not worry. We still have insecurity issues but we will ensure that the deployment does not compromise the safety of our nation,” Kindiki noted.
Kenya, which is seen as a democratic bulwark in East Africa, has taken part in peacekeeping missions not just elsewhere in the world but also in its nearby neighborhoods, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.
