If the UN Security Council approves President William Ruto's decision to send the Kenya Police to Haiti as part of the Multi-national Security Support mission, it might sour relations between Kenya and other African nations.
During his speech at the UN General Assembly last week, President Ruto criticised the international community for neglecting the situation in Haiti. He said Kenya is committed to leading a multinational force in Haiti to quell gang violence.
Ariel Henry, the Prime Minister of Haiti, who gave a speech to the UNGA, recounted how gangs have taken over the nation's capital and rural towns, intimidating the people and violating human rights. In Haiti, gangs outnumber the underfunded and understaffed National Police.
In an effort to restore security in conflict-torn Haiti, the Joe Biden administration pledged $100 million to support a proposed international force led by Kenya, and urged other countries to match the donation.
But as Kenya waits for UNSC clearance to send its troops to Haiti to bolster operations against gangs, among other duties questions arise on how the decision was arrived at.
Did anyone consult the Kenyan Parliament? Have the East African Community and the Africa Union, two regional organisations where Kenya has membership, been consulted?
Given that Kenya is not a member of the Caribbean Community, what interest does the country have in this matter? And finally, how will deploying our police to Haiti help Kenya?
The Black Alliance for Peace, a human rights advocacy group, has already voiced its concerns over Kenya's plan to send a mission to Haiti, alleging that Kenya is being used as a proxy to advance the objectives of the US, UN and other actors, and describing the gesture as not pan-Africanist.
There are a number of African nations, including Sudan, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Niger, Mali, Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that are currently experiencing political and civil unrest.
In order to maintain the spirit of pan-Africanism, Kenya should prioritise resolving any conflicts among African nations before expanding its focus to other continents.
All attention now turns to the reaction of diplomats, Kenyans, Haitians, and African regional organisations towards the recent action taken by Kenya.
Additionally, it remains to be seen whether the MSS mission will achieve any different or better results than the five previous foreign missions to Haiti that failed to accomplish the same goal.
Journalism lecturer, KCA University-Nairobi. [email protected]
