- The United Nations Security Council on Monday, October 2, approved a yearlong multinational security mission for Haiti.
- The 15-member Council voted to authorize the mission that would guard critical infrastructures.
Image: FILE / EZEKIEL AMING'A
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has said Kenya's move to deploy 1,000 police officers to Haiti to counter gangs and restore peace is commendable.
Cherargei the UN Security Council's approval for Kenya to lead the restoration of peace and security in Haiti is a signature of the country's role in the global community.
In a statement on Wednesday, Cherargei said that the officers to be deployed in Haiti are special.
"Our police deployment to Haiti is not of ordinary police but special forces/paramilitary police to handle the Haitian criminal gangs," he said.
"In the next year, Haiti shall be a country of prosperity flowing with honey and milk courtesy of Kenya peace process."
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) to form a larger team for deployment.
The exercise is expected to happen in two month's time probably by January 2024.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden thanked President William Ruto for answering Haiti’s call to serve as the lead nation of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.
"Kenya, US welcomed the successful vote at the United Nations Security Council authorising the MSS to bring relief to the people of Haiti, who have suffered for far too long at the hands of violent criminals," the statement reads in part.
The United Nations Security Council on Monday, October 2, approved a yearlong multinational security mission for Haiti.
The 15-member Council voted to authorise the mission that would guard critical infrastructure such as airports, ports, schools, hospitals and key traffic intersections.
They will also carry out “targeted operations” along with the Haitian National Police.
The move by Kenya to deploy officers in Haiti was received with mixed reactions from Kenyans and leaders.
Some leaders called out the government describing the move as a suicide mission for the security personnel.
Narok Senator Ledama Olekina is among those opposed to the deployment on the basis of the ill-preparedness of the officers whose welfare he says hasn't even been fully catered for on home turf.
"For the last two weeks, I have received a minimum of 100 messages from police officers expressing their ordeal of languishing in poverty. Others stop me on the road to explain their challenges especially accessing their comprehensive medical covers," he said in a statement Tuesday evening.
"Yet today we are here ‘celebrating’ the UN Security Council resolution to send our men and women in uniform to Haiti for a “security mission” If we can’t even get their health insurance right!
"Are we really going to get anything else right for them? We need to dust our floor first before offering to vacuum other people’s floors!"