Kenya's offer to send peacekeepers to Haiti faces opposition

By Linda Bordoni

Following a meeting in Kenya, Haiti`s Prime Minister Ariel Henri, has signed a reciprocal agreement with its President William Ruto. Kenya has offered a thousand peacekeepers to go to crime-stricken Haiti, The Western Hemisphere`s poorest nation, to reinforce and bolster its beleaguered Police and armed forces, combatting street gangs which are terrorizing Haiti, particularly rampaging through its Capital Port Au Prince.  

Benin has offered 2,000 troops. Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda also want to send personnel. While studiously avoiding any manpower commitment, Washington is pledging two hundred million dollars in funding for this peacekeeping force. 

President Ruto says: "I take this opportunity to re-iterate Kenya`s commitment to contribute to the success of this multi-national mission." Prime Minister Henri said: "We need elections to stabilize the country.  We need governance in Haiti to encourage people to invest. "

UN approval

The UN approved such a mission in October of last year. However, in January, Kenya`s High Court ruled the plan unconstitutional and banned the Country`s Security Council from authorizing police deployment outside the country. 

Kenyan opposition politician, Ekuru Aukot, is already challenging the validity of the bi-lateral accord, condemning it as a secretive agreement.