Interior Security Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Sunday revealed that elite police officers will not be deployed to Haiti.
Speaking during a church service at St. Andrews ACK Ndenderu, Kiambaa Constituency, Kiambu County, Kindiki stated the government has opted against deploying elite police officers to the North American nation since such a move was likely to undermine national security.
“The deployment will not affect our elite, specialist-trained officers who are helping us in the fight against terror, banditry and also other serious threats to our national security,” the CS explained.
CS Kindiki assured that the country has enough security officers and the capacity to allocate police officers for the mission.
“We have other officers. We can reorganise and see whom to send there,” he said.
The CS stated that the country would deploy general police to the Caribbean nation which he said, would enable them to get international exposure.
Kindiki explained the government has taken the necessary steps to ensure the Haiti deployment does not undermine Kenya's security in terms of personnel.
“I want to assure you that as the CS responsible for the security of the country, our deployment of officers in Haiti will not in any way affect our programs, our resolve and commitment to make sure that we defeat all the enemies of our security across our country,” Kindiki promised.
Kindiki remarked that the elite police squads usually deployed to North Rift and Lamu will not be assigned to Haiti.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary further revealed that Kenya is yet to deploy the 1,000 police officers to Haiti, a position which contradicts a statement issued by former Foreign Affairs CS Alfred Mutua who previously announced that select police officers were already being taught French in preparation for deployment.
Kindiki explained that the process would begin after both Houses of Parliament approve the mission.
The CS also seized the opportunity to urge leaders not to politicise the deployment.
Instructively, this came after Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga opined that the decision by Kenya to deploy officers to Haiti was misguided.
"We have enough problems in this region. We have our soldiers in Somalia and others in DRC, I don't see the Haiti situation as a priority,” Raila stated on October 4.
