Members of the National Assembly have voted to approve the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti.
In a morning vote on Thursday, the lawmakers adopted the joint committees’ report that had recommended that the House approve the deployment.
“The Committees having reviewed Kenya’s obligations to the UN, its existing legal framework, submissions through public participation and submissions by stakeholders recommends that Parliament approves the proposed deployment of the National Police Service to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission for Haiti under the provisions of the Constitution,” the joint team recommended.
The move now paves the way for the deployment of officers to support the local police in the troubled Caribbean country.
The deployment will, however, wait for the hearing and determination of a court case filed by Thirdway Alliance.
Last month, 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.
A dispatch from the State House in Nairobi said the country’s council of ministers had approved the deployment which will now head to Parliament for the needed ratification.
The decision by the government to send the troops has been seen as controversial and a lawyer had already gone to court seeking to stop the deployment altogether.
The High Court had earlier suspended plans for deployment, temporarily, after the lawyer argued there had been no Cabinet decision on it and that Parliament was being bypassed.
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 team that was led by Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Noor Gabow also held meetings in New York, US, and met with officials from Haitian government to understand the demands of the local population.
The US is partly funding the MSS to the tune of $200 million if Congress approves.