By Samuel Ouma
Kenya’s opposition coalition Azimio has issued a stern warning to the U.S. government against interfering with the country’s internal affairs.
In a statement sent to the media, the coalition’s leaders, led by Raila Odinga, accused Joe Biden’s administration of supporting the Kenyan government’s move to deploy police officers in war-torn Haiti.
The outfit dismissed the United States move, stating Kenya is a sovereign state and should be left to make its own decisions.
“We take note of the support expressed by the U.S. government for the Ruto regime to appeal the ruling on the deployment of police to Haiti. It is our hope that all parties shall respect the independence of the Judiciary,” read the statement in part.
Azimio vowed to stand for the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary.
“We stand for the rule of law and support the need for an independent and professional Judiciary. Subsequently, we demand that Kenya Kwanza must keep its hands off the Judiciary,” said Azimio.
President William Ruto’s plans to deploy police officers to Haiti suffered a massive blow on January 26 after a High court in Nairobi said the move was unconstitutional.
In his ruling, Justice Mwita Chacha said that the National Security Council and National Police Service have no mandate to deploy Kenyan officers to the Caribbean nation.
“In that regard, any purported decision by the National Council or any other state officer to deploy police officers outside Kenya and any other action taken by any other state organ or state officer in furtherance of that decision is invalid, null and void,” ruled the judge.
Following the ruling, President Ruto’s government announced it would challenge the decision at a higher court, a stand supported by the United States.
“We reaffirm our support of ongoing international efforts to deploy a Multinational Security Support mission for Haiti, as requested by Haiti and authorized by U.N. Security Council Resolution 2699, and renew our calls for the international community to urgently provide support for this mission,” said the U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller.
