Experts question Kenya's push to deploy police to Haiti amid local crisis

Prof. Macharia Munene, a Foreign Affairs Expert, has questioned the rationale for deploying Kenyan police officers to Haiti, a country plagued by marauding gangs and rampant crime, at a time when almost identical problems exist locally. 

Mr Munene was part of a panel discussion on 'Tonight' with Sam Gituku on Thursday, where he stated right away that the legitimacy of the Haitian government is in question, raising further concerns about who the Kenyan government is dealing with. 

"The legitimacy of a government is key to its foreign relations," Prof. Munene said. 

"Right now, the legitimacy of the government in Haiti is questionable; it is an issue."

At the same time, Munene stated that Kenya had already been painted in a negative light throughout the deployment saga, with Haitians appearing to be irked by Kenya's willingness to help combat crime despite its own problems. 

According to the Foreign Affairs expert, claims that the US government promised to pay approximately USD 100 million for the mission have exacerbated the diplomatic mess and made Kenya appear to be a Western puppet. 

"The Haitians, from what I am gathering, are not amused by Kenya volunteering when it has its own problems," Prof Munene added. 

"The image created is that since the US promised to give about 100 million dollars and then Kenya jumped into it, was not a very good picture. Kenya is not ready for this kind of thing despite the claims."

Munene also questioned Kenyan police officers' ability to combat crime levels in Haiti, saying, "It is not always true that our police are doing a good job at home to be able to go and do something else somewhere else."

He cited a slew of crimes reported in various parts of the country in recent months, including banditry attacks in the North Rift and al-Shabaab attacks in Lamu, and claimed that Kenyan police officers already have a full in-tray. 

Thirdway Alliance Party Leader Ekuru Aukot, who was also present at the panel discussion, also poked holes in the deployment schism, claiming that the US-backed push for deployment was casting Kenya in a negative light. 

"I don’t like the fact that it is America that is pushing Kenya to go to Haiti. Part of the problem for me is the fact that this push is actually making Kenya look like a puppet of the USA." he said. 

"There is every reason to believe that this mission is wrong on all fronts, which is why the issue of money is on the table today. It is said that our government has already pocketed money,"

At the same time, Aukot argued that because the legitimacy of the Haitian government is in question, entering into the deal would be equivalent to brokering a deal with terrorist group al-Shabaab.