Kenyan Parliament approves deployment of police officers to Haiti

Despite an ongoing judicial suspension, the Kenyan Parliament gave its approval this Thursday for the deployment of a thousand police officers in Haiti, as part of a mission aimed at helping the country face the rise in gang violence . This decision, however, remains legally contested.

The President of the Kenyan Parliament, Gladys Boos Shollei, announced that the majority of deputies voted in favor of the deployment of police officers in Haiti during an eventful session which lasted almost three hours on November 16, 2023.

Yet a stay from the Nairobi High Court is currently in effect. Added to this is an appeal filed by the opposition, Third Way Alliance, which contests the legality of this international mission. The party’s president, Ekuru Aukot, sharply criticized Parliament’s decision, saying Parliament overrode court orders by voting for the deployment of police forces despite the ongoing suspension.

A new complaint for contempt of justice…

As an argument, the opposition highlights the needs for policing in Kenya and the inexperience of Kenyan police officers in the face of the complexity of the situation in Haiti. But conflicting voices point to the past successes of Kenyan security forces in other missions abroad, notably in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This delicate situation remains unresolved, as a further hearing took place this morning at Milimani Court, where arguments were presented by the parties concerned. Lawyers for Alliance Trois Voie indicated that in the event of the effective deployment of police officers without a clear judicial verdict, they would file a new complaint for contempt of justice.

Furthermore, the Kenyan Minister of the Interior specified that the deployment of police officers would only take place after funding was assured by the United Nations. The cost for the Kenyan workforce is estimated at around $250 million, an amount expected from UN funding.