The Caribbean nation of Haiti plunged into an overflow of turmoil following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7th, 2021, inside his private residence in the Pelerin 5 neighbourhood, Port-au-Prince. 26 Colombians and two American-led foreign group hit squad mercenaries were allegedly involved in the murder, according to the Haitian Police investigation. The First Lady, Martine Moise, who’s among the 50 suspected conduits in the murder of the president by the Haitian judge, was also sho multiple times and later airlifted to the United States for treatment.
According to Haiti’s 1987 Constitution, it’s the head of the Supreme Court that takes over if the presidency becomes vacant. However, the head of the Supreme Court succumbed to COVID-19, leaving the country with a precarious option as to who should assume the office.
The succession wrangle emerged between the acting Prime Minister, Clause Joseph, who announced himself as the interim president, and Ariel Henry, the Interior Minister, whom Moise appointed days before his death as the Prime Minister. On the fateful day of the assassination, Ariel Henry declared himself the acting president and asked Clause Joseph to assume the office of Interior Minister.
Haiti’s Situation Under President Moise
When Moise took over, Haiti was in a flickering state, reeling from the devastating 2010 earthquake, which left an estimated 200, 000 people killed, dozens homeless, and the economy downtrenched due to the magnitude of the destruction of properties. However, during his tenure, Haiti’s situation worsened, with massive spiraling political and social unrest, flaring insecurity, resurgent gang violence, and rampant corruption rocking every corner of the country.
Moise’s political enemies rapidly grew when he began holding grip on power and ruling by decree in January 2020 after backing down on the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2019, citing security concerns. His decision led to the dysfunction of the 34-senate-member parliament, leaving only ten unable to execute parliamentary proceedings. The deputies of the lower house also departed following their retirement.
His resolute determination to extend his tenure by one more year, when his term was due in early 2021, was backed by the US government, and the UN Secretariat faced criticism and heavy protests at home. Moise’s government thwarted an attempt to install a surrogate government by the opposition, terming it an attempted coup. Despite the growing call for his resignation, Moise gripped tightly to power, a stunt of totalitarianism in the face of massive demeontrations.
Inside Kenya-led Multinational Security Support to Haiti
Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, is plundered with devastating natural disasters, malfunctioning institutions, protests, and resurgent canibal gang violence. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, an urgent deployment of multinational forces was called for to quell the burgeoning gang violence in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, and its environs during the 78th United Nation’s General Assembly on September 22, 2023. The armed groups had overpowered the national police, displacing citizens from their homes and leading to the closure of hospitals, schools, businesses, and government service facilities.
According to the UN, the violence had forced close to 200,000 people out of their homes, thousands of kidnappings for ransom, and multiple homicides at the time. The United Nations Security Council approved the deployment of international forces overseen by Kenya to curb the ravaging humanitarian crisis on October 2, 2023, under Resolution 2699.
Kenya’s National Security Council and the Cabinet approved the deployment of the officers on October 13, 2023, which was unanimously endorsed by Parliament on November 16, 2023.
Why did Kenya accept to lead the mission?
Kenya offered 1,000 officers to the non-UN mission called by Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry to have the international force deployed to restore normalcy in the Caribbean as the mission leader. Countries that also pledged forces for the Haiti mission are Benin, Bangladesh, Barbados, Chad, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. While not sending its forces on the ground, the United States pledged up to $200 million in support of the mission.
However, the planned mission faced backlash at home as davocates and human rights organizations, and a section of citizens saw it as an act of neo-colonialization by a black nation and not Pan Africanism. According to Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director, Irungu Houghton, the deployment would instead escalate the situation given the allegations of brutality by Kenyan police.
“Haitians deserve a human rights-based policing mission. They have suffered enough violence. While Kenya has a successful history of police stabilization and policing support in Sierra Leon, Liberia, and Somalia, our officers, linguistically ill-equipped in a French and Creole-speaking country, must not be placed in harm’s way,” said Irungu.
On October 9, 2023, until October 24, 2023, the Kenyan High Court temporarily blocked the government from deploying police officers to Haiti for the Security Mission. According to Ekuru Aukot, a lawyer and Thirdway Alliance Party leader, and his counterparts, the deployment of the police officers in a foreign land was “unconstitutional.”
On January 26, 2024, Justice Enock Chach Mwita of the High Court of Kenya blocked the UN-backed multinational mission, saying, “Any decision by any state organ or state officer to deploy police officers to Haiti contravenes the constitution and the law and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal, and invalid.” However, the ruling said that for officers to be deployed, there needed to be a reciprocal arrangement with the host government, as stipulated in the constitution.
“It is not contested that there is no reciprocal arrangement between Kenya and Haiti, and for that reason, there can be no deployment of police to that country, said Mwita.
On March 1, 2024, Kenya signed a reciprocal agreement on the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti. The Haiti Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Alix Richard, and the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Prof. Kithure Kindiki, signed the agreement between Kenya and Haiti, witnessed by President William and Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Haiti’s Surge in Humanitarian Crisis, Gang Violence and Ariel Henry’s Resignation
Haiti landed in a more surgical overhaul following his visit to Kenya and Guyana back in January 2024, as many Haitians, including gang members, increasingly called for his resignation.
Ariel Henry became stranded in Puerto Rico after a ring of armed gangs, led by the notorious gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier, alias ‘Barbecue, prevented him from getting back to the country, where he said his government would tender resignation following the installation of a transition council.
“I’m asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible,” Henry said.
At the time of his resignation, over 360,000 people had been displaced from their homes, according to the UN’s World Food Programme in Haiti, and the national police were completely overwhelmed as gangs controlled 80 percent of the city.
A coordinated attack inside the main prison aided thousands of inmates escape as attacks on police stations flared up.
Henry’s resignation came as the CARICOM group of Caribean Nations met in Jamaica to discuss the framwork for political transions to pave the way for a new government as gangs continued their call for his impending resignation.
Kenya Flags Off the First Contingent of 400 Police Officers to Haiti
Following Henry’s resignation, Kenya delayed the long awaited deployment of police officers to Haiti for an extended period for the establishment of a central government in Haiti to coordinate the operations of the mission.
“Without a political administration in Haiti, there is no anchor on which a police deployment can rest; hence, the government will await the installation of a new constitutional authority in Haiti before taking further decisions on the matter. Kenya reiterates its commitment to providing leadership to the MSS.” Dr. Singoei, Foreign Affairs Principle Secretary.
On June 25, 2024, President Ruto flagged off 400 police officers to Haiti, awaiting 600 additional troops in the coming months for the peacekeeping mission. According to President Ruto, the officers were selected on the basis of their capabilities, integrity, and professionalism, as he handed over the Kenyan flag to the mission at the National Police College, Embakasi Cmapus, Nairobi.
He reiterated that the mission is important and historic and to affirm the role of the international community in committing to universal values.
“This mission is one of the most urgent, important, and historic in the history of global solidarity. It is a mission to affirm the universal values of the community of nations, a mission to take a stand for humanity,” he said.
While speaking to the departing 400 officers, the president said that the international community has confidence in Kenya to restore order and the rule of law in Haiti from the gangs.
“Kenya is a proud member of the international community in good standing. We also have an outstanding global, pan-African, and regional peacekeeping track record, having made explempary conributions to 47 missions.”
Given the deplorable condition in which the officers were heading to and back home, President Ruto assured them that the government would improve their working conditions and welfare through salary increments in line with the former Chief Justice David Maraga’s task force beginning in July, 2024.
