Police confirm death of missing Kenyan officer Benedict Kabiru

The National Police Service has confirmed the death of police officer Benedict Kabiru, who went missing in Haiti on March 26, 2025.

In a statement released Thursday, September 25, Police Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said the confirmation followed an extensive search and rescue operation by the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM), working with the Haitian National Police.

“In a tragic turn of events, the National Police Service received information regarding the death of the missing police officer, and the family has been notified,” stated Nyaga. 

Kabiru disappeared after an ambush on a supply route in the Carrefour Paye-Savien area of Haiti’s Artibonite Department while serving with the Kenyan-led security mission. 

Nyaga said the police have been in close contact with Kabiru’s family since his disappearance and pledged continued collaboration with Haitian authorities to provide updates.

The confirmation comes two days after President William Ruto publicly announced Kabiru’s death during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.

“I must use this occasion to honor the Kenyan officers Samuel Kitwai, Benedict Kabiru, and Kennedy Nzuve, who lost their lives in the line of duty,” Ruto told the assembly.

The president’s remarks drew criticism from Kabiru’s family, who accused him of breaking the news abroad before they were formally informed. 

The family has since launched a petition seeking answers from the government.

Yesterday, the Attorney General’s office told a Nairobi court it was unaware of Kabiru’s death, contradicting the president’s statement.

Meanwhile, the body of Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve, who died in a road accident on September 1, is scheduled to arrive in Nairobi on September 26.