Kithure Kindiki, the Interior Cabinet Secretary has disclosed that the Kenyan-led Haiti Mission is in the pre-deployment stage.
The revelation comes amidst escalating attacks by heavily armed gangs in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince in their efforts to oust interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry who is still unable to get to the country following his trip to Kenya.
Kindiki said Monday that the signing of the reciprocal agreement between Kenya and Haiti on March 1 as required by the Court set the stage for the deployment.
The agreement was signed in Nairobi by security ministers from the two countries in the presence of President William Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
“There was a small court matter which has been resolved. The court said we needed to have a reciprocal agreement with Haiti, that reciprocal agreement was signed more than a week ago,” he said.
Kindiki further revealed that all the other programs that are related to the deployment of the 1,000-strong Kenya police units to the gang-hit Caribbean nation are in place including the Status of Forces Agreement and the laws on detention, arrests, and other enforcement measures.
He added that the Standard Operation Procedures that will guide how the Multinational Security Support mission will be handled have also been finalized.
Kindiki pointed out that Kenyan police officers will be part of a larger security force tasked with restoring order in Haiti.
“Kenya is a lead nation but there are so many countries that have pledged to contribute troops and this came from the mandate of the United Nations Security Council and is part of our international obligations,” he added.
The High Court in January ruled that under Kenyan laws, the government can only deploy police officers to another country if a reciprocal agreement exists with the host nation.
But President Ruto later announced that his government will adhere to the court order, and appeal as it works to put in place the reciprocal agreement.
“I am pleased to inform you that Prime Minister Ariel Henri and I have witnessed the signing of this instrument. We have also discussed the next steps to enable the fast-tracking of the deployment,” Ruto said after witnessing the agreement signing at State House.
The UN Security Council backed Kenya’s offer to lead the force and Kenyan lawmakers went on to approve the deployment.
In Haiti, the possible deployment had received mixed reactions from community members who have suffered at the hands of gangs.
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Source-https://www.capitalfm.co.ke
Kenya Haiti Mission In Pre-Deployment Phase, court matter resolved
