Kenya's parliament approves Haiti police deployment
Kenyan police officers retreat from a cloud of tear gas blowing back at them after a change in wind direction during anti-government protests in Nairobi on July 19, 2023. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- Kenya's involvement has been criticised at home and the government is currently barred from deploying any police to Haiti due to an ongoing court challenge to its plans.
Nairobi. Kenya's parliament on Thursday approved the proposed deployment of its police to lead a UN-backed multinational mission to Haiti to restore peace and security to the gang-plagued Caribbean nation.
The UN Security Council gave the go-ahead in early October for the Kenya-led mission to help the overwhelmed Haitian police battle rampant gang violence.
But Kenya's involvement has been criticised at home and the government is currently barred from deploying any police to Haiti due to an ongoing court challenge to its plans.
"This House approves the deployment of the officers of the National Police Service to multinational security support mission to Haiti," Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei told lawmakers on Thursday.
The government has said it is ready to provide up to 1,000 personnel and vowed that preparations for the mission will continue, despite the court case.
The Nairobi High Court is considering a petition brought by opposition politician Ekuru Aukot, who argued the mission was unconstitutional as it was not backed by any law or treaty.
Haiti, the Western hemisphere's poorest nation, has been in turmoil for years, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence, and the economy and public health system also in tatters.
