Kenyan Parliament Okays Police Deployment to Haiti

The Kenyan parliament on Thursday gave the green light for the deployment of hundreds of police officers to Haiti.

The deployment is part of a UN-approved mission designed to assist the Caribbean nation in tackling escalating gang violence.

Kenya had offered to lead a Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti, a proposal that had already received endorsement from the UN Security Council.

Despite international approval, the decision to send Kenyan troops has faced opposition within the country.

Even as the parliamentary debate on the deployment took place, the Kenyan high court simultaneously heard a case challenging the decision.

A lawyer had filed a petition seeking to halt the deployment, and the court was tasked with addressing the legal aspects of deploying Kenyan police personnel outside the country.

The petitioners, led by Ekuru Aukot and others, raised several grounds of contention, including questioning the constitutional authority of the President to deploy police forces beyond Kenyan borders.

In October, the High Court had issued a temporary gag order, suspending the deployment. The lawyer argued that there had been a cabinet decision on the matter and expressed concerns that parliament was being bypassed in the process.

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