Kenya court rules against police deployment to crisis-hit Haiti

Rulings by Kenya’s strongly independent judiciary have been a roadblock in the implementation of President William Ruto’s flagship programmes since he took office in September 2022, driving frustration within his administration. Meanwhile, judges and magistrates have strongly condemned statements by the president and his allies against the judiciary, The Standard writes, in an escalating row between the two branches of government that has sparked fears of a constitutional crisis. The magistrates union president on Thursday, Jan. 25 claimed that the attacks by the country’s political elite were designed to incite disobedience of court orders and asserted that judges would execute their responsibilities without fear.

Kenya offered to lead the multinational security mission last July after Haiti’s government appealed to the international community to urgently deploy forces to restore order in the gang-terrorized nation – but the mission could now be in jeopardy, The New York Times reported. The security force, which is backed by the U.N. and funded by the U.S., was intended to stabilize the Caribbean island nation, where armed gangs control an estimated 90% of the capital, Port-Au-Prince. However, the plan had been heavily criticized by Kenyans, Haitians and foreign affairs experts in Washington, Semafor reported in September, who argued it was fraught with risks. The Kenyan High Court said on Friday that the country’s National Security Council could only deploy military and not police for peacekeeping missions outside its borders, the BBC reported, leading the government to say it would appeal the ruling.