Kenya, Haiti sign deal on police deployment
By Mary Ouko, March 1, 2024
Kenya and Haiti have officiated their agreement on the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti.
The acknowledgement which was done by security ministers from the two countries was witnessed by President Willliam Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Nairobi on Friday afternoon.
The latest development comes even as the High Court blocked the National Security Council from deploying the officers to the Caribbean country.
In the ruling rendered by Justice Chacha Mwita, the court stated that the way the proposal for the deployment was made was unconstitutional, null and void.
Mwita stated that the government did not have a mandate to deploy officers to another country and that the decision did not meet the constitutional and statutory standards.
He also noted that the government did not conduct proper publication.
“lt is my finding that the National Security Council and National Police Service (NPS) do not have powers at all to deploy police outside Kenya. I therefore find the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti in a UN-approved mission unconstitutional, null and void, “Justice Mwita ruled.
“An order is hereby issued prohibiting the purported deployment of police officers to Haiti or any other country, otherwise and in contrary with Sections 107 and 108 of the National Police Service (NPS) Act.”
Despite the court order, President Ruto insisted that despite the court order, the plan would go on as agreed.
The Head of State subsequently affirmed that the court’s remarks on the legibility of the process was misinterpreted, he went on to state that the country already had bilateral relations with Haiti and that all that was needed was for Haiti to make a request.
“I think there is a misinterpretation of what the court did. We already have bilateral relations with Haiti, all that needs to be done now is for Haiti to make a request to Kenya and the mission will go ahead,” Ruto said.
The president also announced that once the process between the two countries was formalised, the officers would be deployed to Haiti in the next week.
“So, that mission can go ahead as soon as next week, if all the paperwork is done between Kenya and Haiti on the bilateral route that has been suggested by the court,” Ruto added.