The family of Benedict Kabiru Kuria, a police officer who disappeared in Haiti on March 25, 2025, has demanded that the government tell them the truth about their son, as they gave a 30-day ultimatum to sue the State if the demand is not honoured.
In a letter dated April 29, 2025, by lawyer Mbuthi Gathenji and addressed to Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, the family gave Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s Ministry of Interior and National Administration a month’s notice to tell them whether their kin is dead or alive.
This means that the government now has 13 days to issue a confidential statement to the family on the current status of the matter.
“Take notice that unless the Government through its Ministry of Interior and National Administration gives a written confidential statement to the family within the next thirty (30) days, we shall file suit for a declaration and mandamus (order) under Article 35 of the Constitution for the Ministerial statement on the matter of Benedict Kabiru Kuria,” reads the letter in part.
Giving details of his career, the family said that he joined the service in February 2016 as an Administrative Police (AP) officer after he trained at the Embakasi Administration Police Training.
Miriam Kabiru the wife to Benedict Kabiru Kuria, the Kenyan police officer who went missing in Haiti, displays his picture during the interview at their home in Thamande, Kikuyu on March 27, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
He was then deployed to Busia on the Kenya Border in the Border Patrol Unit. In 2017, Kuria was then deployed to Elwak in Mandera, where he stayed for four years.
From there, he was deployed in Marsabit and later Moyale.
“On July 15, 2024, he joined the Kenya Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission and went to Haiti as part of the second contingent,” the letter further read.
The family said that on March 26, 2025, the office of Inspector General Douglas Kanja issued a statement on the situation of their kin, and the details of the letter were that he was missing in action within the Caribbean-based nation.
That was hours after Kuria’s uncle, Mr Daniel Kabiru, received a call from the local administration in Kikuyu to inform him of the status of his nephew who was based in Haiti. Since then, the family has been in constant communication with the local administration.
On April 1, 2025, the family held a meeting with senior police officers at Jogoo House, where they discussed the matter.
A picture of Benedict Kabiru Kuria, the Kenyan police officer who went missing in Haiti, is displayed during an interview at his home in Thamande, Kikuyu on March 27, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
They say that since then, the message they receive when they make an inquiry is that the search for Kuria is still on.
A contradicting statement from Haiti’s Government is what has been disturbing the family, as it stated that, “This valiant policeman committed to the side of the Haitian forces to fight against insecurity has made the ultimate sacrifice for a better future.”
“The statement further identified the officer as Benedict Kabiru,” the letter read.
The letter was also copied to the Kenya National Commission of Human Rights, the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA), Amnesty Internationa,l and Ms Maria Isabel Salvador, who is the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for Haiti.
Speaking to the Nation on Friday, Kabiru’s brother said that they had hoped they would receive the communication as per their demands.
A picture of Benedict Kabiru Kuria, a police officer who went missing in Haiti.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“We just hope that the officer of the AG will ensure that we get the communication so that as a family we can know the way forward,” he said.
On March 24, 2025, the officer was reportedly captured by a gang, which executed an ambush after a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle in which the Kenyan troops were in developed a mechanical problem.
He was among colleagues tasked with rescuing a group of their Haitian counterparts, whose vehicle got stuck in a ditch suspected to have been dug by gang members.
After the ambush, Kuria could not be accounted for. The ambush took place at the Artibonite Department of the Pont-Sonde Area.
Talks to know the fate of the officer between Haitian officials, the Kenyan team and the gangs are said to have kicked off a few weeks ago, but not much progress has taken place.
Kenya is in Haiti on a United Nations-backed peacekeeping mission, the commander of which is Godfrey Otunge.
Apart from Kenya, other countries that have contributed a few officers in the troubled Caribbean country include Jamaica, Guatemala, Bahamas, El Salvador and Belize.
Officers from Kenya who are in Haiti are drawn from the General Service Unit, Anti-Stock Theft Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit and all the Female Special Weapon and Tactics Team.
The USA, which is a key financier in the MSS Mission, has also been pushing for it to be a UN peacekeeping force, but there has been little progress towards this.
The mission is scheduled to come to an end in October 2025, after which the UN Security Council will review the mission’s mandate and make a decision on its future.
