A delegation from Haiti is scheduled to visit Kenya before Kenyan police are dispatched to the Caribbean nation to assist in combatting gangs that are terrorizing the local population.
This information was disclosed during a meeting between Haitian authorities and a Kenyan delegation in Port-Au-Prince on December 5, 2023.
The visit by the Haitian delegation is a part of the preparations for the impending deployment of the controversial Multinational Mission to Support Security (MSS), which the United Nations approved two months ago.
The second Kenyan delegation engaged in a significant working meeting on Tuesday with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and members of the government, as stated by the Prime Minister's office.
Accompanied by representatives of the American administration, the delegation also held discussions with 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.
“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.
Leading the team from Kenya is national security advisor Monica Juma, Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Noor Gabow and those from other government departments.
Officials from the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs’ office were also on the team.
The team was expected back in the country at the weekend, officials said. 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 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.
Unlike a UN peacekeeping mission, where the blue-helmeted forces are under the control of the U.N.
Department of Peace Operations, the multinational force in Haiti will be overseen by Kenya, although its forces are there with U.N. authorization, which gives the intervention the backing of international law.
Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria and Mauritius are among countries that have confirmed deployment of their officers to Haiti.
Kenya Police Service has a long history and rich track record in peacekeeping missions and peace support operations to Namibia, Cambodia, former Yugoslavia, UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, East Timor, Croatia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, and Darfur.