Highlights: Kenya: the deployment of police officers in Haiti can be done “as early as next week”, according to Ruto. However, a Nairobi court ruled on Friday January 26 that this deployment was “unconstitutional, illegal and invalid” The mission in Haiti is still relevant, President William Ruto told the British news agency Reuters on Tuesday, following the Italy-Africa summit in Rome. According to him, the mission could even begin " as early asnext week, if all the formalities between Kenya and Haiti are finalized"

Kenyan President William Ruto reaffirmed Tuesday, January 30, that the deployment of the country's police officers to Haiti will take place. However, a Nairobi court ruled on Friday January 26 that this deployment was “unconstitutional,…

Kenya: the deployment of police officers in Haiti can be done “as early as next week”, according to Ruto

Kenyan President William Ruto reaffirmed Tuesday, January 30, that the deployment of the country's police officers to Haiti will take place. However, a court in Nairobi ruled on Friday January 26 that this deployment was “

unconstitutional, illegal and invalid

”, in particular because it requires a “

reciprocity

” agreement between the two countries, which is not currently the case.

Kenyan President William Ruto, here during a summit in Kampala, January 19, 2024. © Abubaker Lubowa / Reuters

By: RFI Follow

With our correspondent in Nairobi,

Albane Thirouard

The mission in Haiti is still relevant, President William Ruto told the British news agency Reuters on Tuesday, following the Italy-Africa summit in Rome. According to him, the mission could even begin "

as early as next week, if all the formalities between Kenya and Haiti are finalized

" to respond to the Court's instructions.

The

Nairobi court on Friday ruled the deployment illegal

because it went through Kenya's National Security Council, which

has no mandate

to send police out of the country. For police officers to be deployed abroad, there must be a “

reciprocity

” agreement with the country receiving the troops. And this country must have requested it directly from Kenya to respond to an emergency situation.

There is not

yet an agreement

of this kind between Nairobi and Port-au-Prince, but President Ruto affirms, still quoted by Reuters, that discussions are underway and that Haiti has even already formalized its request to from Kenya several months ago.

Ekuru Aukot, the political opponent who initiated the legal action, reacted on the social network an elected president in Haiti, a deployment request cannot be made.

The Kenyan authorities had also already announced on Friday their intention to challenge the court's decision.

The UN Security Council gave the green light in October to sending this multinational force to support the Haitian police against gangs. Kenya was to take the lead and is eagerly awaited by the Haitian authorities.

Kenya: the deployment of police officers in Haiti can be done “as early as next week”, according to Ruto

Kenya: the deployment of police officers in Haiti can be done “as early as next week”, according to Ruto

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