Kenyaโs Attorney General has told the High Court that his office has not received official confirmation of police officer Benedict Kabiruโs reported death in Haiti, contradicting President William Rutoโs earlier remarks at a United Nations meeting.
Kabiru, part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Port-au-Prince, disappeared in March 2025 after an ambush by armed gangs. To date, the National Police Service has not declared him dead, insisting that search operations are still ongoing.
The contradictions surfaced after Kabiruโs family petitioned the court, accusing authorities of withholding vital details.
Their lawyers argued that President Rutoโs September 22 statement to the UN Security Council had already confirmed the death.
โIf the Presidentโs statement is accurate, then it effectively disposes of the request for information since confirmation has already been made at the highest level,โ the court was told.
The petitioners are now demanding that the Attorney General clarify if the Presidentโs remarks represent the official government stance on Kabiruโs status.
The AG, however, argued that his office cannot base its position solely on the Presidentโs statement, saying it has not received any formal communication from the police confirming Kabiruโs death. He asked the court for additional time to gather the required details.
Kabiruโs family insists that the conflicting positions between the President and the AG suggest intentional withholding of information.
โOnly then can the court proceed to address the consequences of withholding the information,โ their lawyers told the judge.
Kabiruโs mother, Jecinta Kabiru, broke down in shock upon hearing the President confirm the death of her son, who had been missing for more than six months.ย Through tears, she questioned why senior security officials in Kenya had continued assuring her that search efforts were still underway.
In an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, September 23, Jecinta appealed to the government to return her sonโs remains to Kenya for burial.
“Why are they torturing me? They have tortured me all that long, knowing the truth because I know the President cannot say something that has not been confirmed,” said Jecinta.
“I want to urge them to bring the remains of my son so that I can do what is necessary because I can’t believe it until I see his body that he is no more.”
Reports of Kabiruโs disappearance surfaced on March 25, when MSS mission spokesperson Jack Ombaka disclosed that he went missing following the ambush during an anti-gang operation.
Kabiru was with fellow officers when their armored vehicle got stuck in a ditch believed to have been deliberately dug by gangs.
Ombaka explained that as efforts were made to recover the vehicle, the team was ambushed. While the others escaped with injuries, Kabiru was seized by the gang.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja later said specialized security units in Haiti were immediately deployed to search for Kabiruโs body.
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