State Lived Up To Its Word Of Sending First Batch of Police Officers To Haiti

By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga

Worth Noting:

• It is worth noting the deployment of the first batch came just few days after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Japheth Koome hosted a delegation of police officers from Haiti at police headquarters in Nairobi.
• The IGP assured them that the government of Kenya has finalized plans to deploy Kenyan police officers to Haiti.
• Being one of the countries that heard your cry, Kenya is committed to help in restoring peace and stability in your country.
• It is worth noting that this operation is being coordinated by the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) under the banner of Multilateral Security Support Mission (MSS).

The Government of Kenya finally lived up to its word a few days ago when it deployed the first batch of 400 police officers to Haiti.

Media reports indicated they were warmly received by the great people of Haiti and thereafter started to undertake specific security operations assigned to them.

The main objective of this operation is restore peace in this troubled country.

The new Prime Minister of Haiti thanked Kenya for responding to their distress call. We are very grateful to the people of Kenya and we request GoK to send more police officers.

The initial reports indicated that the total number of officers to be deployed stood at 1,000.

It is worth noting the deployment of the first batch came just few days after the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Japheth Koome hosted a delegation of police officers from Haiti at police headquarters in Nairobi.

The IGP assured them that the government of Kenya has finalized plans to deploy Kenyan police officers to Haiti.

Being one of the countries that heard your cry, Kenya is committed to help in restoring peace and stability in your country.

It is worth noting that this operation is being coordinated by the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) under the banner of Multilateral Security Support Mission (MSS).

In his part, the leader of Haiti police delegation thanked President Ruto and his government for responding positively to their distress call. He assured the Kenyan police that they will work closely with them and provide them with necessary support.

Earlier report had indicated that deployment of first batch of 200 officers had been delayed once again. This was because the UNSC had not completed building the barrack where Kenyan officers would reside.

An advance team led by Deputy IG Noor Gabow which had a few days earlier visited Haiti to asses the situation had just returned back to country.

Besides Kenya, Chad, Burundi and Nigeria are among the countries in Africa which have so far agreed to send officers for the same mission.

They join those from Jamaica, Chile, Paraguay and Brenda.

Contrary to the impression created by one of the mainstream newspaper, the deployment of the Kenyan officers had not been designed to coincide with President William Ruto’s state visit to the United States of America (USA).

The decision to deploy 1,000 officers had been made before President Joe Biden made the decision to invite him.

It is worth to recall the decision to deploy our officers had been delayed.

Reached for comment, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Singoei explained why the government had put this matter on hold. He denied rumors being peddled around by the critics of President Ruto that his government had developed cold feet.

We have made this decision because of the resignation of the Prime Minister Henri Ariel.

Also, some ministers and top police officers had been forced by the Haitian gangs to resign and flee.

So, there was no government in place to receive our officers and direct them on how to carry out the operations, the PS reiterated.

The Government of Kenya believes in the constitution and rule of law. So, in Haiti, it looked forward to work with a constitutional authority. This is position would be adopted by other countries across the world which had agreed to join the United Nation led Multilateral Security Support Mission (MSS). The Haitian transitional council has since appointed a new Prime Minister.

I had earlier written an article in this column. I noted.

The critics of President William Ruto wants Kenyans to believe that Kenya is the only country sending officers to that country. This is not true.

President William Ruto had earlier hosted the Prime Minister of Haiti Henri Ariel at State House Nairobi. The two leaders signed an agreement paving the way for deployment. The PM resigned a few days later.

Reports indicate that Kenyan parliament and the Court of Appeal had okayed the deployment. This showed the law was being followed to the letter and spirit.

So the claims by Dr Ruto’s critics that he was forcing the decision down the throat of Kenyans did not hold any water.

Having read sections 107,108 and 109 of the National Police Service (NPS), I’m persuaded to believe that the decisions that the President had made so far were within the law.

I heard the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kithure Kindiki elaborating this matter further.

He stated that the deployment cannot be done without an approval of Parliament. Granted, I’m persuaded to believe President Ruto equally shares his sentiments.

The constitution is the supreme law of the land.

It is wrong to point an accusing at President Ruto.

Given this scenario, the grounds cited by those opposed are weak.

Kenyans can only listen to them if they manage to convince the court that the three sections are unconstitutional and should be removed from NPS Act.

As we know, the people of Haiti had been in big trouble. The vicious marauding criminal gangs have forcibly taken over and overrun their country

For the starters, I want to share with them some of the atrocities that were being committed there.

The gangs were raping women and chopping the heads of thier fellow citizens. The children were not spared.

The hospitals and schools had been closed and the main roads blocked. More than ten Police stations have run down. A prison has been broken into and thousands of prisoners secured their ‘freedom’.

The staff of humanitarian and charitable organizations was being targeted. They were blocked from accessing the camps where hundreds of thousands of Haitians had sought refugee to offer them food and medications.

This is the reason why Haitian leaders, who were on the run and some besieged, had pleaded with UN to intervene.

If you ask historians, this is what they would tell you about Haiti. This was the first country to emancipate itself from the colonial slavery. The people living in this caribbean nation are Africans.

President Ruto remembered this while explaining why Kenya is touched with thier pains and agony.

The people of Haiti are human beings just like us. Taking cognizant that Kenya is a member of the community of nations, it is wrong to sit and watch when they are suffering.

It is worth noting this is not the first time that the government of Kenya is sending security personnel to join the Africa Union or United Nations peace keeping missions.

The history of the previous Kenyan administrations is replete with this.

The previous deployments were approved at a time when Kenya had fallen far short of meeting the UN requirement of the ratio of 1: 450. This means one police officer taking care of 450 citizens.

I have heard the critics of Ruto raising this as another concern.

How come they never raised it during the reigns of the previous governments?

So, thier comments reeked more of hypocrisy and insincerity.

I also totally disagree that President Ruto was doing this in order to earn international recognization, mostly from the white people.

The President had already curved a niche of a renowned leader because of his style of leadership at home.

The world leaders particularly liked him because of strongly believing in tenets of democracy, constitution and rule of law.

Besides, Dr Ruto enjoys the support of African leaders because of being candid in pushing the agenda of Pan-Africanism. This has thrust him into the international stage where he has been championing the course of our people.

Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi

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About the Author

Joseph Mutua Ndonga

Joseph Mutua Ndonga is a Writer and Political Analyst based in Nairobi

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