Babu Owino blasts Ruto’s move to deploy Kenyan policemen to Haiti
Embakasi lawmaker Paul Ongili, famously known as Babu Owino, has criticized President William Ruto over his decision to deploy Kenyan police officers in Haiti to contain gangs terrorizing the Caribbean-based country.
According to the lawmaker, who is allied to the opposition party Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the move by the head of state is ill-timed.
In a video, Babu Owino stated that Kenyan police officers are not adequately prepared to handle the gangsters who emerged following the assassination of the country’s Head of State.
Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021, and since then, the country has been in chaos, severely affecting the welfare of women and children.
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“Sending our police officers to Haiti is ill-timed because we are not sufficiently prepared to deal with the gangs there,” the MP said.
According to the legislator, who is a close ally of ODM leader Mr Raila Odinga, the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti at a time when Kenya is dealing with banditry attacks and cattle rustling is ironic.
President Ruto announced the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti to help restore order, a move that was endorsed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
United States (US) President Joe Biden also praised Kenya for this “bold move”.
A total of 1,000 police officers are expected to travel to the country.
“If we have not managed to successfully handle bandits in Kenya, how can we expect to contain gangs in Haiti, who emerged as a result of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021?” Babu Owino questioned.
The MP asserted that Dr Ruto is making ill-informed decisions to please the West, stating that he does not see the need for Kenyan Africans to go and fight their fellow Africans in Haiti.
He said Haiti, is a sovereign country that can solve its mess.
Haiti gained independence from France in 1804.
“They have not mastered the terrain. They will definitely be in danger… Haitians speak two languages; Haitian Creole and French. Not all Kenyan police officers even speak English, so how can we expect them to communicate in French or Haitian Creole? At what point will they be able to interpret the language, and at what point will they handle the gangs?” he wondered.
However, Babu Owino wants the government to assure the families of the police officers who will go on a peace mission in Haiti of compensation and damages in case they lose their lives.