The curtain has finally fallen on a six-month mystery that gripped the country. The National Police Service (NPS) has confirmed that a Kenyan police officer who went missing while serving in Haiti’s volatile Artibonite region in March has been found dead.
The officer vanished on March 25, 2025, during a gang ambush on the Carrefour Paye-Savien supply route—a lifeline for peacekeeping operations under the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM). The following day, NPS declared him missing in action, sparking a painstaking search that stretched across Haiti’s gang-infested corridors.
“This tragic confirmation brings immense pain to the NPS family. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the officer’s loved ones,” read a statement from NPS, adding that the family had been kept “fully updated” throughout the grueling months of uncertainty.
A Family’s Ordeal
The officer’s kin endured a harrowing wait, marked by contradictory reports. Initial claims in March alleged he had been killed on the spot, only for authorities to dismiss the reports, insisting he was missing but alive. The family resorted to court action, demanding clarity after weeks of silence.
On Wednesday, they were in court again, pressing the state for answers, even as the Attorney General’s office admitted it had not been formally notified of his death. The confusion was further compounded when President William Ruto, in a speech at the UN Security Council on September 22, honored fallen Kenyan officers in Haiti, including the missing officer by name—well before official confirmation reached the family.
A Risky Mission in a Broken Nation
Since deploying to Haiti earlier this year, Kenyan officers have been operating in extreme conditions, facing heavily armed gangs that control large swathes of Port-au-Prince and its surroundings. Intelligence sources say the officer’s death is linked to the March ambush, though officials have not revealed whether his body has been recovered.
The MSSM, working alongside the Haitian National Police (HNP), mounted both ground and aerial reconnaissance missions in the months-long search. Yet, insecurity, kidnappings, and constant gang warfare crippled progress.
Closure, But Not Peace
For the bereaved family, the confirmation ends months of torment but opens fresh wounds over how information was managed. The officer becomes the latest casualty of Kenya’s controversial mission in Haiti, where the cost—in both blood and public trust—is growing heavier.
The NPS has promised full support to the family, including assistance with repatriation arrangements. Meanwhile, the case underscores glaring gaps in communication between government agencies, leaving lingering questions about transparency and accountability in Kenya’s foreign peacekeeping engagements.
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