A high-powered delegation from Haiti arrived in Nairobi on a fact-finding mission about the preparation of Kenyan police to be deployed to the Caribbean nation.
The Director General of the Haitian National Police, Frantz Elbe and his team landed in Nairobi on Tuesday for a three-day tour to understand how the Kenyan police operate.
The team on December 13, 2023, met Inspector General of the National Police Service Japhet Koome.
“The Haitian Police Chief who is leading the Haitian delegation is on a three-day official visit to Kenya for bilateral security discussions between the two law enforcement agencies, till Friday, December 15, 2023,” a statement from the IG’s office said.
Deputy Inspector General Administration Police Service, Noor Gabow who is leading the Haiti mission was present.
The Haitian team is scheduled to meet other police bosses and government officials before they depart.
Sources said the visit was part of the preparation for the deployment of the more than 1,000 police officers from Kenya to join a 3,000-strong team to be sent to Port-Au-Prince for the controversial Multinational Mission to Support Security (MSS) the United Nations approved two months ago.
Plans are to dispatch the first team of about 300 officers by February next year, officials said.
The visit came days after a Kenyan team flew to Haiti and held a meeting with local authorities on December 5.
The second delegation from Kenya had an important working meeting with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and members of the government, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
Accompanied by representatives of the American administration, it also met members of the High Council of the Transition (HCT), namely Mirlande Hyppolite Manigat, Calix Fleuridor and Laurent St Cyr.
The Kenyans also had a long working session with the high command of the Haitian National Police in the capital city.
“On the other hand, a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the NPH will travel to Nairobi in the coming days in preparation for the arrival of this Mission,” the statement said.
The Haitian team arrived in Nairobi days later. Plans are that Kenya will among others open a consular in Haiti.
The visit will be the final step before the first team is dispatched to Haiti, other officials said. The earliest the team can leave for Haiti is February 2024, officials said.
This is after High Court Judge Chacha Mwita said the deployment of officers to Haiti will be determined on January 26, 2024.
In the case, Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot sued President William Ruto and his administration in a bid to block the peacekeeping mission that will see the deployment of at least 1,000 police officers to the gang-ridden nation.
He argued that Kenya has not ratified any law or treaty to allow the deployment of police officers outside the country.
Parliament approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti.
In October, the Cabinet approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti, jumping one more legal hurdle in the circuitous approvals needed to have the move get legal backing.
In the first trip, a dozen senior police officers toured Toussaint Louverture International Airport and neighbouring sites in Port-au-Prince Haiti, in August for an assessment study.
The US is partly funding the MSS to the tune of $200 million if Congress approves.
Gangs have taken increasing control of Port-au-Prince since the assassination of the country's president in 2021 threw Haiti into a political crisis.
Thousands of Haitians have fled their homes in the capital, while more than 2,400 others have been killed, according to the latest figures from the UN.
Kenya’s move has been backed by the UN. More than 1,000 officers will be picked from the Rapid Deployment Unit, Anti Stock Theft Unit, General Service Unit, and Border Patrol Unit to form a larger team for deployment.
These officers have paramilitary training and are likely to work well with other personnel from countries that have agreed to send theirs to Haiti for the same mission.
Kenya will take the command and operations of about 3,000 personnel.