Family tells court Haiti missing police officer is dead

The family of a Kenyan police officer who went missing while on deployment in Haiti has received formal confirmation from the State that he died in the line of duty.

The National Police Service (NPS) had on September 25, 2025 informed the family of Police Constable Benedict Kabiru Kuria’s death, following intelligence reports from the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti.

This was after a day in court, where the family had submitted a petition seeking the state’s clarity on the death of Kabiru.

In the court session, the Attorney General’s office said it was not informed of Kabiru’s death.

However, during a session before court on Wednesday, the government formally confirmed Kabiru’s death through an affidavit filed by the Attorney General’s Office.

The family through their lawyer Mbuthi Gathenji, told justice Chacha Mwita the confirmation came after months of seeking official confirmation.

In his submissions, Gathenji told the court that the official confirmation now satisfies the prayers in their petition, as the information they had sought for months has finally been provided.

“That being the position it is our submission that prayer A(i) and B(i) have been satisfied,” said Gathenji.

“The information we were seeking since april was given on 22nd sep and was only disclosed today as a confirmation by office of AG.”

According to the affidavit sworn by Jackson Kang’ani, the Director of Security Operations at the Administration Police Service, the NPS received intelligence from the mission’s leadership on September 22, indicating that Constable Kuria was believed to have died in the line of duty, based on credible operational intelligence from ongoing search and recovery efforts.

Kang’ani said the reports were not accompanied by medical or forensic evidence, but assured the court that the Service had briefed the family and continued to handle the matter with transparency and sensitivity.

The NPS further dismissed claims that it is withholding information regarding the death of Kabiru, saying it has maintained open communication with both the family and the public.

It said it will continue to liaise with relevant mission authorities and other partners to facilitate the recovery and repatriation of the officer’s remains.

The service further termed as false and misleading any insinuations that it is deliberately concealing information, insisting that it has provided consistent updates and documented briefings since the incident occurred.

“The said intelligence reports from the MSS Command were not accompanied by any medical or forensic reports, but were based on situational intelligence and field reports from the search and rescue teams operating in affected zones,” said Kang’ani.

Justice Mwita directed that the case be mentioned on February 17, 2026, for highlighting of submissions.

In the petition, The family of Kabiru had accused the government of withholding crucial information about his fate.

The officer’s mother Jacinta Wanjiku Kabiru, his uncle Daniel Kabiru Ndungu and his brother Philip Kamau Kuria sought a court order compelling government agencies to confirm whether the officer was alive or dead.

The respondents named in the case include the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, the National Police Service, the Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police, the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and the Attorney General.