In an effort to combat the growing gang violence in the Caribbean country, the Kenyan parliament on Thursday authorized the sending of 1,000 police personnel to Haiti.
The national assembly supported a vote, presented by the Committee on Administration and Internal Security of Parliament, granting the government’s request to send security officers as the level of violence in Haiti increased.
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During a contentious discussion, opposition lawmakers disapproved of the government’s proposal to assign Kenya as the head of a multinational police unit in Haiti, citing constitutional violations. Proponents of the proposal stated that Kenya had a duty and moral obligation to assist Haiti.
The main points of contention throughout the discussion were who would pay for the deployment and why security troops should be sent hundreds of kilometers from Kenya to Haiti.
Rozzah Buya, an opposition politician, asserted, “Where is the sense in taking 1,000 police officers to Haiti when Kenyans are dying, in need of protection, in need of service from their police officers.”
The head of parliament’s administration and internal security committee, Gabriel Tongoya, declared that the UN will cover all deployment expenses.
The High Court in Nairobi stopped the deployment plan in October. The UN-backed expedition, according to former presidential candidate Ekuru Aukot, “was a mistake and a suicide mission,” and the court was scheduled to rule on his case on Thursday.
Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki recently informed the legislature that Kenya would only send cops to Haiti provided UN members paid for the equipment and funds.
The following countries have committed troops: Burundi, Chad, Senegal, Jamaica, and Belize.
The capital city of Port-au-Prince was besieged by a highly armed gang on Wednesday, holding 40 patients, including infants and children, signaling the start of a new wave of violence in Haiti. The individuals were later saved by police.
Since President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in July 2021, gangs have strengthened their influence throughout Haiti, and the frequency of kidnappings and murders has increased.
