Kenya court temporarily bars security forces deployment to Haiti for two weeks

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s high court temporarily barred on Monday deployment of the country’s security forces to other countries for two weeks until a case filed by a local politician challenging such action as unconstitutional is looked into.

This came after Kenya agreed to lead a multi-national force to combat gang violence in Haiti following a United Nations Security Council resolution approved last week. The mission would be funded by voluntary contributions, with the U.S. pledging up to $200 million.

Former presidential candidate, Ekuru Aukot, filed a petition Friday against the deployment of Kenyan forces, arguing that the law allowing the president to do so conflicted with articles of the constitution.

Aukot’s petition also faulted President William Ruto for agreeing to lead the international peacekeeping mission while Kenya struggles with security issues arising from militant attacks and most recently ethnic clashes.

High Court justice, Chacha Mwita, on Monday, allowed those challenged — including Ruto, the interior minister and the police’s inspector general — three days to file a response to Aukot’s petition.

The next court hearing is set for Oct. 24.

Last week, Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga, also criticized Kenya’s involvement in the Haiti peacekeeping mission saying the country had its own security challenges.

Kenya was yet to confirm a deployment date for the 1,000 officers it planned to send to Haiti. Ruto said on Oct .3 that the Kenya-led force would “not fail the people of Haiti.”

From Jan. 1 until Aug. 15, more than 2,400 people in Haiti were reported killed, more than 950 kidnapped and another 902 injured, according to the most recent U.N. statistics.