President William Ruto has maintained that the plans to deploy Kenyan police in Haiti will continue from as early as next week.
In an interview with Reuters in Rome, Italy, Ruto said the government was working to ensure that all necessary paperwork between Kenya and Haiti, in line with the court ruling.
“So that mission can go ahead as soon as next week if all the paperwork is done between Kenya and Haiti on the bilateral route that has been suggested by the court,” Ruto said in an interview conducted on the sidelines of the Italy-Africa Summit.
Ruto also affirmed that the mission was in response to an appeal by the Haiti government noting that it was a “calling to humanity” amid concerns questioning the origin of the plan.
According to him, Haiti’s government had in 2023 sent an appeal for help to contain violence.
“The mission is on course. The mission is a bigger calling to humanity,” he added.
Mudavadi in US days after Haiti ruling
Meanwhile, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi flew to the United States for a scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State counterpart Anthony Blinken.
However, it was not clear whether the Haiti mission will form part of the agenda in the engagement between Mudavadi and Blinken.
Mudavadi, in a statement on Tuesday, January 30, confirmed his arrival in the US noting that he would be engaging senior officials in discussions on the Kenya-United States Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership.
“I will be engaging senior officials in discussions on the Kenya-United States Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, with a specific focus on enhancing cooperation between our two nations,” Mudavadi noted in a statement.
Earlier in the week, Blinken through his spokesperson acknowledged the court ruling in Kenya that barred the government from proceeding with deployment of police officers in Haiti.
The spokesperson reiterated United States’ commitment to supporting the mission for Haiti and called upon other members of the international community to chip in.
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“We reaffirm our support of ongoing international efforts to deploy a Multinational Security Support mission for Haiti, as requested by Haiti and authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 2699,” the Spokesperson of Secretary Blinken noted.
A ruling made by Kenya’s High Court on Friday, January 26, plunged the planned mission into doubts.
Court pours cold water on Police Deployment
In his ruling, Justice Chacha Mwita ruled that the constitution did not provide for the National Security Council to deploy police outside Kenya.
“If the intention of the framers of the Constitution was that the Council should deploy Defence forces, National Intelligence Service and National Police Service, they could have easily stated so and mandated the Council to deploy national forces and services, or national security organs, to capture that intention,” Justice Mwita stated.
Also Read: Govt Gives Way Forward After Court Decision on Haiti Mission
The government has since vowed to appeal the ruling in a bid to revive the plans to lead the mission in Haiti.
Haiti’s government has also expressed its optimism for a favorable outcome to actualize the mission approved by the United Nations Security Council in 2023.
Kenya’s government had hoped to commence the deployment of 1,000 police officers in the first quarter of 2024 but has since encountered obstacles posed by opposition from various quarters.
