Wednesday, May 15, 2024 – As President William Ruto prepares to deploy Kenyan police to Haiti from 23rd May this year, the US Government has raised some concerns that are worth considering.
The US Department of Defense has written a proposal to
Congress to amend the legislation allowing the special operations
authorities to equip and train allied countries in combat against outside
forces.
The duties of Special US forces are usually reserved for
counterterrorism, border security activities, and counternarcotics operations.
In the proposal, the Defense Department seeks to add
resistance and foreign internal defense operations to its mandate.
In particular, the US department referenced Kenya as a prime
example, with their security infrastructure in question to counter war-related
activities.
“Kenya is a prime example as their conventional and [Special
Operations Force] units are growing in capacity, but their security
infrastructure and institutional pillars are vulnerable to corruption,
subversion, lawlessness, terrorism, and civil war,” notes the proposal by the
Pentagon.
The US government had pledged a Ksh13 billion aid towards
Kenya's deployment of police forces to Haiti to restore peace within the
conflict-riddled country.
As the date for deployment first approaches, the US
Pentagon is yet to complete the construction of a base for the officers,
raising questions over the project's viability.
Similarly, the US Pentagon raised concern over the
Scandinavian and Baltic countries' security, indicating a possible risk of
Russian influence.
Congress is set to consider the Pentagon's legislative
proposals in the coming weeks ahead.
The first batch of police officers is set to carry 200
police officers, with the rest scheduled to land in Haiti in the following
weeks.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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