Approximately 1,000 Kenyan police officers will be sent to Haiti to combat rampant gang violence in the country.
Last year, Kenya volunteered to lead the troubled Caribbean nation’s multinational security force.
But the Supreme Court blocked the plan in January, ruling that the government does not have the power to send police to other countries without consent.
It was also decided that the National Security Council had no legal authority to deploy police outside Kenya.
On Thursday, Haiti’s prime minister arrived in the East African country to keep plans in place.
In January, a UN special envoy said gang violence in Haiti had reached a “critical point”. Nearly 5,000 deaths were reported last year, more than double the number in 2022. More than 1,100 people have been killed, injured or kidnapped this month alone.
In a statement on Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto said he had signed an agreement with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and discussed the next steps to allow for the operation’s swift implementation.
Along with Kenyan officers, the Bahamas sent 150 soldiers. Jamaica, Antigua, and Barbuda have said they are ready to help, and the United States has pledged 158 million pounds ($200 million) to support the operation.
Earlier this week, Benin provided 2,000 soldiers.
However, many Kenyans oppose the deployment, arguing that security challenges must first be addressed domestically.
Opposition politician Ekuru Aukot, who filed the first petition against the operation, told AFP on Friday that he intended to sue for “contempt of court”.