- According to LSK's outgoing president Theuri, there was a need for the accord to be made public for Kenyans to scrutinise if it was done within the confines of the law.
- Theuri stated that as it is, such documents are public and are supposed to be published in the Kenyan Gazzette.
Image: FILE
The Law Society of Kenya has urged the government to urgently disclose the agreement it entered into with Haiti regarding the deployment of police force.
According to the society’s outgoing president Eric Theuri, there was a need for the accord to be made public for Kenyans to scrutinise to check if it was done within the confines of the law.
Theuri stated that as it is, such documents are public and are supposed to be published in the Kenyan Gazzette.
“We are eagerly waiting for the document, we know how the situation is in Haiti and we are opposed to having our police deployed there,” he said during a press briefing in Nairobi.
“If we find that the document is in contravention of the law we shall not hesitate to institute a legal action.”
President William Ruto and Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henri witnessed the signing of an agreement Friday that paved the way for the deployment of the 1,000 police officers to lead a multinational mission to help restore law and order in the Caribbean nation.
“From Kenya, we are ready for this deployment, and I request all the other partners across the globe to step up so that we can respond in good time,” Ruto said.
Henri thanked Ruto and the people of Kenya for offering to lead the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti meant to stabilise the country.
“What this mission is bringing is hope for the future of humankind, for a people who cannot see how they will live tomorrow,” the prime minister said.
He pledged that his government would accord the Kenyan contingent all the necessary support to make the mission a success.
The reciprocal agreement was signed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and Haiti secretary general of the Council of Ministers Alix Richard.
The Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti was authorised by the United Nations Security Council on October 2, 2023, under Resolution 2699.
This followed widespread gang violence that has rendered much of the country lawless and ungovernable.
In 2021, assassins killed Haiti's former President Jovenel Moise at his residence in the capital Port-au-Prince, highlighting the level of insecurity in the Caribbean nation.
On March 2, gang-related violence paralysed the capital, stopped operations at the country’s main airport and left several police officers dead.
In response to the Security Council resolution, Kenya’s National Security Council and Cabinet approved the deployment of police officers on October 13, 2023, a decision that Parliament unanimously endorsed on November 16, 2023.
However, following a petition filed in the High Court last January, the court determined that a reciprocal agreement with Haiti was needed.
Countries that have pledged forces for the Haiti mission include Benin, Chad, Bangladesh, Barbados and The Bahamas.
Theuri at the same time raised concerns over alleged defiance of court orders.
“We are concerned that if this continues, going to courts will lose meaning and it will get to a point where ordinary members of the public take law into their own hands to deal with a situation or any conflict they have,” he said.