The government of Kenya has reached a legal agreement with officials in Haiti for the deployment of its police officers to the Caribbean nation.
According to sources privy to the information, the agreement was signed on Friday, June 21, by representatives from both countries.
Gandy Thomas, the acting representative of Haiti to the United States and the Kenyan ambassador to the US, Lazarus Amayo, were among those present during the signing of the deal.
Cristobal Dupouy, special representative of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States in Haiti was also present during the event.
While confirming the deal, Dupouy reiterated that the signing of the legal agreement was an important step which should accelerate the deployment process.
The documents are also set to be signed by other countries participating in the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS).
Other countries participating in the mission include Jamaica, Bahamas, Guyana, Barbados, and Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Bangladesh, Benin, and Chad.
The agreement outlines how troops should behave while in Haiti, the location of the troop's bases, and the movements of members of the force.
However, the agreement did not reveal the exact date for the deployment of the officers to Haiti.
The move comes a day after Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille replaced the Haiti national police chief as part of the radical measures to heighten the country's security forces in preparedness for the imminent mission.
According to Conille, the change was essential to inject new energy into the police force and enhance its ability to combat the gangs terrorizing the population.
"We took steps to make a change at the head of the police because we felt the time was right to give the institution a new lease of life, a new energy," Conille disclosed.
