But on Friday, Kenyan Supreme Court Justice Chacha Mwita agreed with opponents who brought the legal challenge that such a mission would be illegal, in part because Kenya's National Security Council does not have a mandate to deploy police officers outside Kenya.
“Any decision taken by any government agency or official to deploy police officers to Haiti and any other action or steps taken…to reinforce such a position is contrary to the Constitution and the law, and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal and void,” Moita said in a statement. The decision read in court.
Kenyan government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the government plans to appeal the ruling.
Henry's office did not respond to a request for comment.
The purpose of the international security mission is to support the Haitian police, a force that has been overrun by gangs that have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. This support will include conducting joint security operations against the Haitian police. gangs, protecting critical infrastructure and creating a level of security that allows the country to hold elections.
The United States, which supported Henry's request for aid, pledged at least $200 million to the international mission, half of which was conditional on Congressional approval.
Several Caribbean countries have promised to send hundreds of troops or police officers, but many others have been reluctant to participate, in part because previous international interventions in Haiti have failed to bring lasting stability to the country.
The UN mission from 2004 to 2017 had a mixed record, and is mostly remembered for allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers, whose poor sanitary practices also caused a cholera outbreak that killed nearly 10,000 people.
But others in Haiti view this mission as the only option to restore order. The United Nations reported this month that nearly 4,800 people were killed in Haiti last year, a 119 percent increase from 2022. It recorded 2,490 kidnappings in 2023, an 83 percent increase from the previous year.
