NAIROBI, Kenya – The family of Benedict Kabiru Kuria, a Kenyan police officer who went missing in Haiti six months ago, has moved to court seeking answers from the government on his whereabouts.
Kabiru disappeared in March after a Kenyan convoy under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission was ambushed by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince.
The officers had reportedly been assisting a Haitian police vehicle trapped in a ditch when the attack occurred.
On Thursday, the case was mentioned virtually before the Milimani Law Courts, where Senior Counsel Mbuthi Gathenji, representing Kabiru’s mother Jacinta Wanjiku, his uncle Daniel Kabiru Ndung’u, and his brother Philip Kamau Kuria, urged the court to press the state for answers.
“The petitioner has been waiting for news on her own son, an officer who disappeared in Haiti. I plead that we hear the matter today,” Gathenji said, accusing the government of leaving the family in the dark for months.
The family is demanding that the Attorney General, the Inspector General of Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Interior confirm whether Kabiru is alive or dead, disclose steps taken to trace him, and establish direct communication with them.
State Counsel Betty Mwasao, representing the government, sought more time, citing personal circumstances that had delayed compliance with earlier court directions.
“I will get in touch with the legal office of the IG to get an update on the status so far,” she told the court.
High Court Judge Chacha Mwita allowed a short delay but stressed the need to balance the family’s right to timely information with the government’s ongoing efforts in Haiti.
He scheduled the matter for open court hearing on September 24 at 11:30 am.
The case highlights mounting concerns over the safety of Kenyan officers in Haiti, where criminal gangs have stepped up attacks despite the multinational mission’s deployment.
Inspector General Douglas Kanja previously confirmed that another Kenyan officer remains unaccounted for in the Caribbean nation.
For Kabiru’s family, however, the wait has grown unbearable. “It is only fair for the family to know what efforts have been made and what prospects there are of finding Kuria,” Gathenji told the court.
The September 24 hearing is expected to determine whether the government will be compelled to provide a detailed status report.
