# Kenyan police officer reported killed in Haiti as mission faces fresh pressure

A Kenyan police officer deployed to Haiti as part of the multinational security mission has been reported killed after an ambush by suspected gang members, deepening pressure on the Kenya-led operation as it struggles to restore order in the violence-ravaged Caribbean country.

Haiti's Presidential Transitional Council said the officer, identified as Benedict Kabiru, had died after the attack and described him as a policeman who had made the "ultimate sacrifice" in support of Haitian forces. The council did not say whether his body had been recovered. Kenya, however, had only confirmed that the officer was missing when the BBC report was published, leaving his death unverified on the Kenyan side.

The attack took place during a patrol operation in Pont-Sondé, according to the Multinational Security Support Mission. That detail matters because it shows the mission's forces remain exposed even in routine operations. The BBC said the deployment includes about 800 Kenyan police officers sent to help the authorities tackle insecurity in Haiti.

The reported death is not the first fatality for the Kenyan contingent. Last month, another Kenyan officer, Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was fatally wounded during an operation in Ségur-Savien. His body was later flown home and buried this month, reinforcing how costly the deployment has already become for Kenya's police service.

The BBC report also pointed to the political strain around the mission. There has been widespread opposition in Kenya to sending police officers to Haiti, with critics urging that they be brought back because of the dangers they face. Yet the article said Kenyan President William Ruto and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had recently reaffirmed support for the mission in a phone call, underlining that the operation still has important international backing.

The US is one of the main funders of the Kenya-led force, which was sent to Haiti in June last year to help combat gangs that have seized control of much of Port-au-Prince and many rural areas. The broader security picture remains grim. The BBC said more than 5,500 people were killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in 2024, and more than a million people fled their homes.

The report also makes clear that the mission is operating in a setting where every patrol carries risk. Armed groups have such a strong grip in and around the capital that even a limited deployment can end in an ambush and a political argument back home in Nairobi. That is the backdrop against which the latest reported death should be understood.

For Haiti's transitional authorities, the reported killing adds urgency to an already fragile mission. For Kenya, it is another reminder that the deployment carries real risks and that the human cost is no longer hypothetical.

The BBC report also noted that the Haitian council blamed the assailants, whom it described as either armed criminals or accomplices, and said they would face justice. But the central fact for now is that the mission has suffered another violent setback, even as its commanders and international backers insist they remain committed to restoring stability.

*Event date: 2025-03-27.*

Citations

  • BBC News source 4262: reported killing, identity of the officer, patrol location, mission size, previous Kenyan fatality, opposition in Kenya, and mission background.