- Kenya has offered to send 1,000 police officers to help free Haitians from the stranglehold of hundreds of criminal gangs.
- The United Nations Security Council approved the deployment Monday night paving the way for the deployment latest January 1, 2024.
Image: RAILA ODINGA/X
Azimio leader Raila Odinga has questioned why the US has offered to sponsor Kenya to send police officers to Haiti to counter marauding gangs in the Caribbean country.
Whilst saying he is not opposed to help being advanced to the country, Raila said there are more countries that are geographically closer to Haiti and are in a better position to help.
"America is just the doorstep, why haven't they gone? They were there before, why did they leave?" he posed.
The ODM leader was speaking to KTN News.
Kenya has offered to send 1,000 police officers to help free Haitians from the stranglehold of hundreds of criminal gangs in what President William Ruto termed as a moral obligation.
The United Nations Security Council approved the deployment Monday night paving the way for the deployment latest January 1, 2024.
The resolution authorises the deployment for one year, with a review after nine months.
The non-UN mission will be funded by voluntary contributions, with the US pledging up to $200 million (29.68bn).
Kenya will receive pledged $100 million (Sh14.5 billion) of funds from the Defense Department in the form of intelligence, airlifts, communications and medical assistance.
Raila said previous missions to Haiti failed and it's still not clear what's so special about the Kenyan police that will change the situation.
He said for starters, there are other African countries like Senegal, Nigeria and Liberia whose proximity to Haiti is shorter than Kenya's and should have been sent first.
"We have enough problems in this region. We have our soldiers in Somalia and others in DRC, I don't see the Haiti situation as a priority. Americans left because of trouble, a lot of American soldiers were killed," Raila said.
"When coffins start arriving here, that's when we shall regret. Haiti is dangerous and there's a possibility our police will encounter problems there."
Raila said the situation in Haiti is of a political nature and requires global intervention and dialogue to resolve and not military intervention.
"The problem in Haiti is political, it does not just require guns, it requires talks," he said.
Only officers from formed units in the National Police Service of Kenya will be deployed to Haiti.
The more than 1,000 officers will be picked from the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), Anti Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), General Service Unit (GSU), and Border Patrol Unit (BPU).
Unlike a UN peacekeeping mission, forces are under the control of the UN Department of Peace Operations, the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission to Haiti will be overseen by Kenya.