The lawsuit said that its petitioners were “reliably informed” that the Kenyan deployment may take place no later than May 23, “hence the urgency of this application”.
Haiti has suffered from poverty, political instability and natural disasters for decades, and the UN-backed multinational force — to be led by Kenya — has been tasked with helping its beleaguered police rein in criminal gangs.
The expected deployment of a first batch of Kenyan police to the Caribbean nation would coincide with a visit by President William Ruto to Washington where he will meet US President Joe Biden on May 23.
A Haitian source had told AFP in early May that a first contingent of 200 Kenyan police were expected by that date.
The Kenyan government has not publicly commented on the date, but an interior ministry source told AFP they could arrive by next Tuesday.
Also Read: Kenyan Troops to Land in Haiti Before End of May, Officials Say
Kenya pledged last July to deploy up to 1,000 personnel to Haiti, an offer welcomed by the United States and other nations that had ruled out putting their own forces on the ground.
– ‘Acting in bad faith’ –
In January, Kenya’s High Court ruled that the National Security Council — which authorised the deployment — only had the authority to send the military abroad and not police officers.
The judge, ruling on another lawsuit filed by Aukot, said Kenya could deploy police to a country only if a reciprocal agreement existed.
But the Thirdway lawsuit has accused the respondents — including Ruto as well as other top Kenyan officials — of “acting in bad faith” by ignoring the High Court orders.
The complaint, which wants the government found in contempt of court, argued that Haiti was not a “reciprocating country” and that it had not made any formal request for a police deployment.
“There is no Government in place in Haiti capable of giving such request or signing any bilateral agreement with Kenya for deployment of police officers to Haiti; and there is no Parliament in place in Haiti to ratify such agreement,” it said.
The United Nations says some 360,000 Haitians are internally displaced, with the gang violence forcing 95,000 people to flee the capital and pushing five million into “acute hunger.”
By Agencies.
