Multi agency teams are still searching for the body of a Kenyan police officer who was killed in an ambush in Haiti, Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja has revealed.
Kanja said the body of constable Benedict Kabiru Kuria is yet to be found after the March 25 incident.
“The search is ongoing and we hope to find him. We have teams on the ground for that mission,” he said.
He added a fund that was created to manage the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti is functioning.
“The fund is in existence and many countries including USA and Canada contribute to it. It has money,” he said.
He made the remarks in Eastleigh, Nairobi on March 30 where he marked the Eid celebrations.
In the meantime, authorities are yet to update the country on the status of another police officer who was injured on March 18, 2025 while conducting a security operation in Kenscoff, within the Belot area.
He was flown to Dominican Republic after the shooting in the head.
The officer of the rank of inspector was promptly evacuated to ASPEN Level 2 Hospital before being flown to Dominican Republic.
The team on the ground has vowed to continue with their mission.
The family of Kabiru says they are in the darkness over the status of his death. They say they are yet to determine if he is dead or just missing.
This even as videos appeared online to show the officer dead with a mob kicking his body.
The President of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), Fritz Alphonse Jean, visited a camp where the MSS mission team in Haiti is based and reaffirmed commitment to the operations there.
This followed the killing of Kabiru in Haiti on March 25.
He held a meeting with MSS leadership, led by Force Commander Godfrey Otunge and other leaders.
Fritz reiterated Haiti’s commitment to collaborating with MSS officers and other stakeholders in the search for a Kenyan officer who went missing on March 25, 2025, in the Pont-Sondé area of the Artibonite Department.
Kabiru is missing after he was killed in an ambush by the gang.
Fritz commended the MSS contingents for their service to the Haitian people.
He also praised the strong and productive working relationship between the Haitian National Police (HNP) and MSS officers.
He encouraged the MSS troops to remain resolute and dedicated in their mission to create a safer Haiti.
Addressing the MSS personnel, he expressed his gratitude for their commitment to protecting the Haitian people from gang violence.
Otunge assured him that MSS officers remain motivated and steadfast in their duties.
He highlighted the successes MSS has achieved so far and welcomed the Haitian leadership’s collaborative efforts in the search for the missing Kenyan officer.
He commended the officer’s bravery in confronting gangs and striving for a safer Haiti.
Accompanying the TPC President were Prime Minister Didier Fils-Aimé, former TPC President Leslie Voltaire, and HNP Director General Rameau Normil, along with other dignitaries.
“The TPC President and Prime Minister reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to ensuring that the missing Administration Police Constable (APC) Benedict Kabiru is found,” a statement said.
After the attack, videos were shared online purporting to show the officer’s body lying on the ground.
The body has not been found since then.
Kenyan authorities have since deployed specialized teams to recover his body, which remains in the custody of the gangs.
Kabiru comes from Kikuyu, Kiambu County where his family is in denial about the developments in Haiti.
His death came just a month after another Kenyan officer, Police Constable Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was fatally shot during an anti-gang operation in the Artibonite region on February 23, 2025.
With gangs in Haiti growing more aggressive and police units facing logistical challenges, concerns are emerging over how many more Kenyan officers may have already been killed or could soon lose their lives in the volatile operation.
The latest attack occurred when three armoured vehicles carrying peacekeepers got stuck in a ditch, suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs.
As officers attempted to recover the vehicles, they were ambushed, leading to Kabiru’s fatal shooting.
The MSS mission, led by Kenya, was launched to support Haitian authorities in restoring order amid escalating gang violence.
However, with the increasing number of casualties and operational difficulties, pressure is mounting on Kenyan authorities to address growing concerns over the safety and effectiveness of the deployment.
The deaths have heightened concerns over the safety of Kenyan personnel, particularly as reports emerge about logistical failures and inadequate resources that may be putting them at greater risk.
These grievances paint a picture of a mission that is being undermined by internal failures, with officers increasingly questioning whether their role in stabilizing the country is being taken seriously by those in command.
Since their arrival in Haiti, officers say they have experienced frustrations that have progressively worsened due to what they describe as negligence from senior commanders.
They claim that their welfare has not been prioritized, and instead of receiving support, they have been subjected to unnecessary challenges that have made their work more difficult.
There are growing concerns that some officers are being favoured over others when it comes to duty assignments, with allegations that personal connections rather than standard operational procedures determine who is deployed for missions.
This has led to a situation where some officers remain underutilized while others take on difficult tasks under harsh conditions without proper support.
Transport challenges have also emerged, with officers alleging that they have been provided with armoured vehicles that do not offer adequate protection.
They claim that these vehicles have been compromised to the extent that bullets can penetrate them, yet despite raising the issue, they have been forced to continue using them.
This has created anxiety among officers who feel that their safety is not being taken seriously.
Given that they are operating in a high-risk environment, they believe that their concerns should have been addressed immediately, but their complaints have reportedly been dismissed by their superiors.
Violence in Port-au-Prince has led to record levels of displacement, exacerbating humanitarian conditions, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Nearly 23,000 people were displaced in just one week in March, he said.
The crisis has also cut into vital supply lines across the country. “Beyond the worrying situation in the capital, almost half of the entire population – that’s 5.5 million human beings – is going hungry, one of the highest proportions in any crisis around the world,” Dujarric said.
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