Why Kenyan police in Haiti are searching for Kabiru's body

Benedict Kabiru, the Kenyan police officer who was killed in Haiti. [File, Standard]

The family of Benedict Kabiru, the Kenyan police officer who was killed in Haiti, might not bury their loved one any time soon.

This is because there is no evidence of his body. The officer died in a gang ambush in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on March 25, 2025.

Initially, the National Police Service (NPS) dismissed reports of his death, maintaining that Kabiru was only missing.

It is now emerging that Kenyan police officers deployed in the Caribbean country have been searching for his body, while Kabiru’s family back home anxiously wait for it.

The gangs are believed to have taken custody of Kabiru’s body. It is, however, not clear whether they eventually disposed of it or if the criminals have preserved it.

“We will not rest until we get the body of our officer; we will get it whether buried or not,” said a senior officer, adding a new twist to the matter, which has not been clear from day one.

Initially, Kabiru had been classified by NPS as missing in action, but President William Ruto contradicted this position when he declared Kabiru dead.

“I must use this occasion to honour the Kenyan officers Samuel Tuoi, Benedict Kabiru, and Kennedy Nzuve, who lost their lives in the line of duty,” Ruto said on September 24 during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Immediately, NPS, which for close to six months had insisted the officer was alive, issued a statement echoing the President’s position.

“The officer had been reported missing while on duty following an ambush. 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,” said police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga.

With the government finally confirming Kabiru’s death, his family looked forward to receiving the body for burial.

Shocked by the devastating news, Kabiru’s mother, Jacinta Wanjiku, said that as a family, they had clung to the government’s assurances since March that her son was missing in action and that efforts were underway to trace him.

“The President’s confession has shattered us. Why do I have to learn of my son’s death through social media?” she posed.

The family has been moving from one office to another, where no one seems ready to tell them the plain truth that there is no evidence of his body.

Two weeks ago, Kabiru’s aunt, Hannah Wambui, told The Standard that the family had been left in the dark on when the body would be brought home.

“After the announcement was made, we went to Jogoo House to seek clarity on when the body will be brought. Although devastated, we were relieved that the matter was finally coming to closure, but the wait is traumatising,” said Wambui.

Despite several inquiries, Wambui said it has been a back-and-forth exercise, leaving the family more confused.

“The last time we were at Jogoo House, the officers told us they are still investigating the matter and will get back to us, but we haven’t heard from them,” she said, five days after two officers visited the family’s Thamande home in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, for a counselling session.

According to Daniel Ndung’u, Kabiru’s uncle, they were told that a board headed by an Assistant Inspector General of Police had been formed to compile a report.

“We need to be told the truth for closure of this matter instead of being taken in circles,” said Ndung’u.