Questions After Ex-CJ Willy Mutunga Claims Kenya Police Died In Haiti

Former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga on Saturday, March 16 sparked worry amongst Kenyans after he raised concerns regarding what he indicated was an 'advance' team of police officers deployed to Haiti.

Mutunga, in a post on X, claimed that unconfirmed reports indicated that some of the officers were killed in the Caribbean nation in efforts to quell gang violence.

In an attempt to seek clarity on the matter, Mutunga tasked Interior CS Kithure Kindiki and Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome to address the reports for the sake of keeping their families informed.

"We are hearing that some of our police officers in the advance team in Haiti have been killed.

"I am asking the IGP and CS Internal Security to answer my question. If true the families involved should not keep quiet about the tragedy," wrote Mutunga.

The post sparked uproar with many Kenyan netizens accusing the government of deploying the police officers to Haiti without any formal announcement to members of the public.

However, Mutunga's post raises questions, regarding the originality of the said reports despite an announcement by President William Ruto that Kenya would initiate a reconnaissance mission to Haiti ahead of the planned deployment of 1,000 police officers, an announcement whose update is yet to be announced.

The Head of State on Thursday, March 14 noted that the team would 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 stated.

It is also worth noting that 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 at the moment has to wait for a new constitutional authority to be installed before making further decisions on the deployment of officers.

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.

IG Koome, CS Kindiki and the Kenyan government had yet to respond to Mutunga's statement by the time of publishing this article.