Haiti’s prime minister has arrived in Kenya to try to save a plan for the African country to send 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation to help fight gang violence
NAIROBI, Kenya — Haiti’s prime minister arrived in Kenya on Thursday to try to salvage a plan to deploy 1,000 police officers from the African country to the troubled Caribbean nation to help fight gang violence.
Kenya agreed in October to lead a UN-mandated international police force in Haiti, but Kenya’s Supreme Court in January ruled the plan unconstitutional in part because of a lack of “mutual agreements” between the two countries.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s office said he was traveling at the invitation of Kenyan President William Ruto to “finalize the details” of agreements between the countries on the deployment, which will send 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti.
It was not immediately clear how or if the agreements could override the court ruling, which also said the Kenya National Police Service cannot be deployed outside the country.
Ruto and Henry met on Thursday at State House in Nairobi.
Ruto said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Kenya is connected to the people of Haiti because of a common heritage. “We are offering our police experience and expertise” for the proposed Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, Ruto said.
Ekuru Aukot, an opposition leader who challenged the development in court, said even if the Kenyan government enters into a proper agreement with Haiti, its prime minister does not have the legitimacy to sign the document on behalf of the country.
Henry has repeatedly pledged to hold elections since he was sworn in as prime minister and interim president after President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021, but he and other officials say gang violence has prevented them from moving forward with those promises.
Caribbean leaders said late Wednesday that Henry had agreed to a general election by mid-2025.
Aukot says he also opposes the development because Kenya faces security challenges that require police intervention. Among them is the Somalia-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which has been carrying out reprisal attacks since 2011 in Kenya for sending its troops to Somalia to fight the militants. It has also reported high crime rates, including cattle rustling in northwest Kenya.
Human rights groups have also noted that the Kenyan police have for years been involved in human rights abuses, including extrajudicial executions.
In Haiti, gangs have strengthened and political instability has increased since the assassination of President Moïse, who had faced protests calling for his resignation over corruption charges and claims that his five-year term had expired.
More than 8,400 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti in 2023 — more than double the number reported in 2022. Gangs continue to fight for territory and are estimated to control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince.