The High Court of Kenya in Nairobi ruled Friday (Jan. 26) that the planned deployment of Kenyan police personnel to the Caribbean country of Haiti was unlawful.
The court ruled that the National Security Council lacks legal jurisdiction to transfer police officers to another country.
According to local media, the National Security Council asked Parliament to sanction the deployment of Kenyan police officers in October.
The MPs’ consent came amid a High Court judgment that temporarily halted the planned deployment until the consideration of a case filed by opposition leader Ekuru Aukot and two other petitioners.
The lawyer who helped design Kenya’s new 2010 Constitution claimed that the deployment was unlawful and that Kenya needed its police to combat insecurity within its boundaries.
President William Ruto has defended the deployment.
The court decision may be appealed.
Kenya was expected to send 1,000 police personnel to oversee the UN-backed security mission.
More than a year ago, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested that the UN deploy a multinational force immediately. The frequency of kidnappings and deaths on the island nation is steadily increasing.