The National Police Service (NPS) faces a significant obstacle to eroding its past as it gears up to deploy 1,000 soldiers to restore sanity in the crime-ridden Caribbean nation, Haiti.
Allegations of extra-judicial killings are haunting Kenya's police, especially after international watchdogs led by Human Rights Watch opposed their deployment.
On Thursday, August 3, the activists urged the United States to reconsider supporting a resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would authorise the NPS to lead the mission in Haiti.
The human rights watchdogs expressed deep concerns about the potential export of abuse to the troubled Caribbean nation, which is already grappling with gangs.
Particularly troubling is Kenya Police's alleged involvement in the shooting of civilians during the COVID-19 pandemic curfew and lockdowns.
“We had some consultations with Kenyan (civil society organizations) last week, and there was general consensus that Kenya should not be seen to be exporting its abusive police to other parts of the world,” Human Rights Watch stated in an interview with the Associated Press.
“One local group confirmed that officers fatally shot more than 30 people in July, all of them in Kenya’s poorest neighbourhoods, during opposition-called protests over the rising cost of living,” the activists added.
The group further strongly criticized the US for its contradictory stance on police brutality in Kenya.
In a statement issued in mid-July 2023, the US expressed sadness over the loss of life and excessive force meted on protesters. Barely two weeks later, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Kenya for its pledge to restore peace to Haiti.
However, Peter Kiama, the watchdog Independent Medico-Legal Unit's executive director, downplayed concerns that Kenya would export abuse to Haiti.
“I have no knowledge of any complaints raised by the U.N. during previous deployments, hence no concern on my end,” Kiama stated.
“The major challenges regarding policing practices in Kenya include political interference with police command and independence, the inadequate political will to reform the institution, culture of internal impunity and criminality, and inadequate internal and external accountability,” he explained why it will be a different case with police officers in Haiti.
While announcing the deployment of police to Haiti, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua announced that they will be tasked to train their Haitian counterparts and protect strategic installations.
The United Nations and a host of other countries worldwide supported the decision. In the past, Kenyan troops have been deployed on peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
