Kathiani Member of Parliament, Robert Mbui, has expressed apprehensions regarding the deployment of at least 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti as part of a peacekeeping mission.
Mbui, speaking on Citizen TV’s Daybreak program, emphasized the importance of a diplomatic approach in Haiti due to the country’s complex political environment.
“These are people that are politically disenfranchised. They have had a history of continuous foreign intervention, and they feel like they’re being colonized by people from outside coming to take over from their country,” Mbui said.
He cautioned against further militarization, stating that sending armed personnel could exacerbate tensions and result in more bloodshed.
“I think these people are kind of fighting for their independence and the best thing we could do is not taking arms there, rather, sending people who can diplomatically try to discuss solutions with them. This fighting and killing of people is not going to help anything,” he remarked.
He questioned the rationale behind deploying Kenyan police officers, suggesting a potential link to Kenya’s handling of domestic demonstrations.
“I have been wondering, could the Kenyan police be sent because they think that Kenya succeeded very well in clamping down on demonstrators when they clobbered us with batons and live bullets during the high cost of living demonstrations? These people in Haiti are properly armed; they are not like Azimio demonstrators,” the MP commented.
Mbui also raised concerns about the independence of Parliament, suggesting that external influences could manipulate voting patterns.
“Watch the voting pattern, just like what they did to the Finance Bill. It won’t matter how intelligent they are, a phone call only will make them do the wrong thing and send these boys and girls to an early grave,” he posited.
He urged vigilance in observing how Parliament responds to the deployment proposal.
Furthermore, Mbui questioned Kenya’s involvement in Haiti’s security issues, given ongoing challenges within Kenya, such as border disputes, banditry, and terror attacks.
He expressed suspicion about potential ulterior motives behind Kenya’s participation in the mission.
“Somebody somewhere in the Kenya Kwanza administration stands to benefit because I know that there is all these goodies the US is going to throw away. Police in Kenya, if you feel like there are attempts to send you there, find a way to refuse and send petitions to us so we can defend you,” he declared.
Mbui’s remarks came after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said on Sunday that Kenya’s police deployment to Haiti would require approval from Parliament, as required by the constitution.
Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, armed groups, operating under various banners, have since taken control of Port-au-Prince, engaging in criminal activities and recruiting children.
