Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has refuted reports suggesting that the National Police Service (NPS) is conducting training for Haiti security officers in Kenya.
During a TV interview, Mudavadi clarified that the government has not reached the stage of hosting Haitian police officers in the country, let alone training 2,000 of them as claimed by some media outlets.
“We have not reached the level of having Haitian police come to Kenya for training,” he stated.
Mudavadi elaborated that Kenya has only agreed to deploy 1000 police officers to Haiti under the United Nations (UN) deployment framework, emphasizing that such information would not be concealed from the public.
“If there were plans for training, we would not conceal anything. We would make it public, just as we have announced our engagement under the UN framework for deployment. Currently, there are no 2,000 individuals undergoing training in Kenya,” he added.
Furthermore, Mudavadi defended the government’s decision to initially send 200 police officers in the first phase, rather than 1000.
The CS explained that the deployment process is managed operationally and follows the guidance of experts trained in logistics and deployment, similar to Kenya’s past missions.
“There are extensive consultations ongoing, with numerous countries committing to be part of this process moving forward. The deployment will be strategic and phased out, ensuring that security deployment experts have sufficient boots on the ground to address the crisis,” Mudavadi stated.
Additionally, Mudavadi emphasized that the deployed officers are security experts who have undergone thorough training to ensure comprehensive coverage during the mission.
“So, I can only plead to the Kenyan people to understand that these are experts who are being asked to asset the people of Haiti and in consultation with the people of Haiti, the UN and other states that are willing and ready to support either financially or logistically,” he explained.
Mudavadi assured that measures have been put in place to handle any emergencies that may arise during the mission.
“They are meticulously considering every detail concerning emergency situations and how to address them. This is not people jumping into the deep end without knowing how to swim, these are people who are trained in matters security,” he affirmed.
Furthermore, Mudavadi defended the deployment, affirming that the mission operates under the UN Security Council and is prompted by resolution 2699 of 2023.
“The UN resolution remains in effect, serving as the foundational framework guiding the deployment to Haiti,” he clarified.
According to Mudavadi, the new Haitian Prime Minister (PM) Garry Conille is tasked with continuing the peacekeeping efforts initiated by former PM Ariel Henry.
“During the transition of power to the transitional council, one of the agreements was that the peace initiative started by the outgoing Prime Minister would be embraced by the government and people of Haiti. This, along with the UN framework, forms the basis of our deployment,” he concluded.
