Deep reflections on Haiti mission a must

The decision by the Kenyan government to send police officers to Haiti to lead a crackdown on deadly gang crime continues to raise questions.

It follows the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry only 12 days after he signed an agreement with President William Ruto to fast-track the delayed deployment of the officers to the Caribbean nation.

The government had indicated that it will halt the mission because of the leadership situation in Haiti. The idea that a prime minister cannot access his country after a foreign trip should inspire some reflection on the Haiti trip. With Henry out of the country, armed groups who control Port-au-Prince besieged the international airport and released thousands of dangerous criminals.

Gang crime has rendered the citizens hopeless and helpless.

The United Nations indicates that at least 806 people not involved in violent gang wars were killed, injured, or kidnapped in January – the bloodiest month in more than two years.

Some 300 gang members were killed or injured, bringing the overall total of people affected to 1,108 – more than three times the number recorded in January 2023.

“Now, more than ever, Haitian lives depend on the deployment, with no further delay, of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS), to support the National Police and bring security to the Haitian population, under conditions that comply with international human rights norms and standards,” said the UN referring the mission that was authorised by the Security Council last October.

It is this urgency on which the deployment is being fast-tracked. Only yesterday, President Ruto told US State Secretary Antony Blinken that Kenya was prepared to lead the mission.

Of concern, however, is the fact the voice of Kenyan people has largely been ignored especially about the officers’ preparedness and training for the mission. Kenyans have cautioned that the mission is too dangerous and not in the country’s national interests.

Of course, the government has not hidden the motivation of the mission. The US has pledged $300 million to contributing countries which Kenya had offered to lead.

The money cannot only be released after the deployment. The enduring question is: Are the alluring US dollars worth the blood of our sons and daughters? Deep reflection is required.