Kenyan security mission to Haiti motivated by money – court advocate
Kenyans are not in favor of sending their country's police to Haiti, a High Court advocate in the East African country has told RT in an exclusive interview.
President William Ruto is on an official visit to Washington this week as divisions in Kenya deepen over his plans to send troops to the profoundly troubled Caribbean nation.
“Most Kenyans are actually in opposition to this deployment,” said court advocate Benedict Wachira, claiming that Ruto “is just doing it for the sake of money.”
“There is a court matter, there is a petition at the High Court opposing the deployment of Kenyan troops to Haiti,” he added.
In March, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that Washington would allocate an extra $100 million to support a UN-endorsed multinational security force aiding Haitian police in their fight against gangs, in addition to providing $33 million in humanitarian assistance.
Ruto’s decision to send personnel to Haiti has been welcomed by a top Biden administration official as an “unprecedented undertaking” and a show of global leadership by Kenya.
Last October, Nairobi agreed to provide 1,000 police officers to lead a UN-backed mission intended to combat rampant criminal gangs and militant groups in Haiti. A court in the East African country ruled that the move was unconstitutional in January, but Ruto has vowed that the plan will go ahead regardless.
The plan however has been postponed following the resignation of the Caribbean nation’s prime minister.
US officials have repeatedly pressed for an international mission in Haiti, citing the “deteriorating security situation” and “dire” humanitarian crisis in the wake of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
The impoverished country of 11.4 million people has seen a major surge in crime and unrest, including kidnappings, robberies, and murders, with armed gangs even taking over some of Haiti’s main ports and driving shortages of key goods. More than 3,000 homicides were reported in the country this year, and over 1,500 kidnappings for ransom, according to the UN.
