Kenyan court says police cannot deploy to Haiti mission

A Kenyan court on Friday blocked the government from sending police officers to Haiti to lead a U.N.-approved mission aimed at helping the Caribbean nation tackle gang violence.

An opposition party in October challenged the government's decision to send 1,000 officers to address a deepening crisis in Haiti, where gangs have forced around 200,000 people to flee their homes. High Court Judge Chacha Mwita said Kenya could only deploy officers abroad if a "reciprocal arrangement" was in place with the host government.

"Any further action or steps taken by any state organ or state officer in furtherance of such a decision, contravene the Constitution and the law and is therefore an unconstitutional, illegal and invalid," Mwita said.