Kenya's Plan To Send 'Spies' To Haiti Before Police Deployment

President William Ruto on Thursday, March 14 revealed that Kenya plans to initiate a reconnaissance mission to Haiti ahead of the planned deployment of 1,000 police officers to the Caribbean nation to quell gang violence.

He announced this in a statement while affirming that the Kenyan government is committed to standing by Haiti whose scenario has thrown the country into a deep humanitarian crisis.

President Ruto had a phone conversation with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau regarding the situation in Haiti.

"Additionally, I engaged with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas Philip Davis, representing the Caribbean Community and Common Market as well as Haiti’s outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

"During our discussions, I conveyed our unwavering commitment to supporting Haiti, emphasising that they are our brothers and sisters. I assured them that we will remain actively involved and we will not abandon Haiti in their time of need," he stated.

Regarding the reconnaissance mission, the Head of State noted that the team will be deployed once an interim leadership is installed in Haiti given that Prime Minister Ariel Henry is set to leave office.

"I further outlined our plan to deploy a reconnaissance mission as soon as a viable administration is in place, ensuring that our security personnel are adequately prepared and informed to respond effectively to the evolving situation," he added.

Reconnaissance is a mission to obtain information by visual observation or other detection methods, about the activities and resources of an enemy or potential enemy, or the meteorologic, hydrographic, or geographic characteristics of a particular area. Such missions include:

• Zone recon is conducted within a specific zone. The zone is defined by boundaries. It is normally associated with a deliberate attack.
• Area recon is conducted to obtain information concerning a specific location and the area immediately around it. It can be conducted during all offensive and defensive operations.
• Route recon is conducted to obtain information on the route and terrain from which the enemy could influence movement along that route. It can be conducted during all offensive and defensive operations.

Kenya is yet to deploy the police force to Haiti amid pressure from the international community over the need for an urgent deployment owing to the escalating violence.

Back at home, the deployment of officers has been criticised by a section of leaders from the opposition who opine that the government is putting the lives of the Kenyan officers at risk.

Those opposed to the deployment have certainly raised concerns over the communication barriers hindering the officers' duties. Most Haitians communicate in French while most Kenyan police speak Swahili and English. 

The planned deployment was put on hold by the Kenyan government on March 12, with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei revealing that without a political administration in Haiti, there was no anchor on which the police deployment could rest.

The Kenyan government has to wait for a new constitutional authority to be installed before making further decisions on the deployment of officers.

President William Ruto and Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry, at State House, Nairobi on February 29, 2024. /PCS