Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry is set to fly to Nairobi to iron out issues barring the deployment of 1,000 police officers to help restore peace in his country.
On Sunday, February 25, the Haitian Prime Minister's Office revealed that Henry will visit Kenya after attending the 46th Ordinary Meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of State and Government in Guyana, which is scheduled to end tomorrow.
"This Sunday, February 25, Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry left the capital for Georgetown, Guyana, to attend the 46th Ordinary Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of State and Government which will be held from February 25-28, 2024," read the statement in part.
"Next, the Prime Minister will travel to Nairobi, Kenya, to finalise modalities for the deployment of the MSS with Kenyan authorities and those of other countries in the African continent."
The trip comes three days after Kenyan authorities cancelled a video meeting scheduled with Haitian counterparts to explore a way forward after the Kenyan High Court barred the deployment of police to the Caribbean nation.
The cancellation was necessitated after the two nations failed to strike an agreement on the deployment parameters.
Kenya and Haiti hoped to find a way to circumvent the High Court's ruling which barred the National Police Service from sending its officers abroad. High Court argued that the two nations lacked a reciprocal arrangement.
Since the ruling was made, efforts to close the deal quickly have been made on either side with the help of the United States Government.
Kenyan delegation met with US officials mid-this month with reports indicating that the meeting was largely positive as the parties agreed on funding, the direction the mission would take and the leadership structure.
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken lauded the developments but warned that the lack of mutual agreements between Kenya and Haiti would hamper the mission.
With the deployment delayed, the security situation in Haiti continues to grow dire with an individual killed, harmed, or kidnapped every two hours.
According to the UN, January this year marked the most dangerous period in the Caribbean nation as the number of victims spiked, attracting global concern.
