Kenyan High Court Halts Police Deployment Abroad Pending the Hearing of a Petition
A Kenyan High Court has blocked the government’s plans to deploy police officers to Haiti or any other country pending the hearing of a petition.
The judge cited issues raised in the application as being of national importance and public interest.
One of the petitioners, Former Presidential Candidate Ekuru Aukot said the proposed deployment was unconstitutional.
It is argued that there is a question mark over whether regular police can actually be deployed on international assignments.
Mr. Aukot added the country could not afford to spare 1,000 officers before addressing insecurity at home.
Last week ethnic clashes in western Kenya left seven people dead.
And recently the coastal region of Lamu has seen attacks from the Somalia-Based Al-Shabab militant group. The area is now under curfew.
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Speaking on Sunday, the Interior Minister stressed that the deployment would not compromise the safety and security of the country.
The court will issue further directions at the end of October.
The order is valid until Oct. 24 and followed a petition jointly filed by one of the opposition political parties and two Kenyans who say the decision to deploy the police officers outside the east African country is illegal.
According to a court document seen by Reuters, the order bars Kenyan government officials including the president and his interior minister “from deploying police officers to Haiti or any other country until 24th October 2023.”
In July, Kenya pledged to offer 1,000 police officers after Haiti appealed for international help with security personnel to assist in its battle against gangs blamed for spiralling violence.
The United Nations estimates some 200,000 Haitians have been displaced during escalating violence, with armed gangs carrying out indiscriminate killings, kidnappings, gang rapes and torching people’s homes.
According to the petitioners, the deployment of the police officers is “not only nonsensical and irrational but unconstitutional.”
The decision to deploy did not involve public participation and is also unconstitutional because only the Kenya military can be deployed outside the country, according to the petition.
