A picture of the late Samuel Kaetuai, the Kenyan police officer who was killed in Haiti. Inset: Naomi Samuel the wife of the late police officer.
A Kenyan police officer who was shot dead by armed gangs in Haiti was planning to jet into the country in mid-April.
The family of Samuel Tompei Kaetuai was planning an elaborate ceremony to welcome him after being away for nine months.
And Tompei, too, had a wish list of personal things that he wanted to accomplish, including completing paying dowry for his wife, Jenifer Kaetuai.
But now instead of a celebration, the family is planning the burial for the young police officer, he was 31, the first casualty of Kenya’s mission to restore order in Haiti.
After attempting to join the National Police Service (NPS) thrice in vain, only to make it on the fourth attempt in 2021, the family feels Tompei's death, just four years later is a cruel twist of fate.
A picture of Samuel Kaetuai, the Kenyan police officer who was killed in Haiti.
“When he informed us that he had handed over his name requesting for a pass out we all as a family could not hide our joy,” Mr Amos Kaetuai, his younger brother, recalled.
The last time Tompei spoke to his family was on Saturday, just two days before his death. Their discussions revolved around a house that he was constructing. He also had plans to finish paying dowry for his wife.
“He was also sending money in preparation for my sister’s marriage that was to take place in April when he would be around,” Kaetuai said.
According to the late police officer's father, Mr Kaetuai Salaash, while in Haiti, his son would on several occasions call and joke that the mission was an easy task compared to the roles he was handling in Kenya.
“He used to tell me that he was not battling in a forest or some fields where they were not sure when the enemy would attack, but the gang members were people hiding in buildings. He used to say the gangs were fearful and there was no need for me to worry,” he said.
Naomi Samuel the wife of the late Samuel Kaetuai, at Naserian Village, Kajiado County on February 25, 2025.
Asked what his brother used to say about the Kenyan mission to Haiti, Mr Kaetuai replied that he was very positive about it.
“My brother did not see his death coming. He believed that all would end well,” Mr Kaetuai said.
Mr Salaash spent the better part of the evening in a meeting with fellow elders and men from the village planning his son’s burial.
His only plea to the government is that it should ensure it offers them support during this hard time.
He was attached to the Border Patrol Unit (BPU) and spent four years battling with bandits and Al Shabaab terrorists. His first assignment was in September 2021 when he was posted to Isiolo.
Six months later he was deployed to Moyale and his final assignment before he became part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti was in Mandera.
Born in June 1994, Tompei grew up in Naserian village a few kilometers from the Kapiti Plains. He joined Naserian Primary School located three kilometers from his home.
He attended two secondary schools; Kiungwani in Makueni County and later in Form Three joined Kajiado High School where he sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam.
His brother told the Nation that due to financial constraints in the family, Tompei sold his two cows, bought a motorbike and kicked off boda boda business.
For eight years, until he joined the police service, Tompei's life revolved around the boda boda business and livestock rearing.
Meanwhile, following his death in Haiti, his body was airlifted to neighbouring Dominican Republic for embalmment. On Tuesday, Human Rights groups in Haiti issued a joint statement to mourn the late police officer.
Friends and family members during prayers at the home of the late Samuel Kaetuai at Naserian Village, Kajiado County on February 25, 025.
“The Central Committee of the Solino Humanitarian Corridor (KSKIS), in collaboration with the Camp Committees take off their hats to honor the memory of Kenyan policeman Samuel Kaetuai, member of MSS,” the statement reads in part.
The groups said that such a sacrifice is a clear testimony of the unwavering commitment to security and peace in the country.
“We take this opportunity to salute the Haitian National Police (PNH), which, despite the difficulties, is multiplying its efforts to regain control of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, where armed gangs are seeking to expand their territory,” the statement reads.
The groups also noted that the MSS is yet to get the necessary materials that would assist them in the fight against the gangs. They urged countries that promised to offer support to the mission to ensure that they do so.
The statement was signed by Genson Jean Baptiste, Daniel Saintiace and Dossous James.
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