NAIROBI, Kenya — The commander of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Force in Haiti, Godfrey Otunge, has pledged to step up efforts to locate Kenyan police officer Benedict Kabiru, who went missing during an ambush earlier this year.
Kabiru disappeared in March 2025 after a Kenyan convoy was attacked by armed gangs while assisting a Haitian National Police vehicle trapped in a roadside ditch believed to have been dug by militants.
“We have put all the mechanisms in place to ensure we get our officer back,” Otunge told reporters in an update on the mission.
Kabiru’s family has since petitioned the courts, seeking regular government updates on his whereabouts. A hearing on the case is scheduled for September 24.
The MSS commander also paid tribute to officers killed during the mission. He said Officer Samuel Kitwai, the first Kenyan casualty in Haiti, received a posthumous medal of honour.
“We did a very honourable sendoff, and he has been awarded posthumously with a medal because he is part and parcel of this mission,” Otunge said.
He further confirmed that arrangements are underway to repatriate the body of Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve, who died in September. “He remains our hero because he died in the line of duty,” he added.
The update comes amid continuing gang violence in parts of Haiti where Kenyan-led forces are deployed, and growing pressure from families of deployed officers demanding clarity on their safety.
