Kenya’s Attorney General has told the High Court that his office has not received confirmation of the reported death of police officer Benedict Kabiru in Haiti, contradicting remarks made by President William Ruto at a United Nations meeting.
Kabiru, who was deployed under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Port-au-Prince, went missing in March 2025 after an ambush by armed gangs. Months later, the National Police Service has yet to officially declare him dead, maintaining that search operations are ongoing.
The conflicting accounts came to light after Kabiru’s family filed a petition, accusing state officials of withholding crucial information.
Their lawyers argued on Wednesday that President Ruto’s statement before the UN Security Council on September 22 already provided the confirmation they have been seeking.
“If the President’s statement is accurate, then it effectively disposes of the request for information since confirmation has already been made at the highest level,” the court was told.
In his address to the UN, President Ruto said: “I must use this occasion to honour the Kenyan officers, Samuel Kitwai, Benedict Kabiru and Kennedy Nzuve, who lost their lives in the line of duty.”
The petitioners now want the Attorney General to clarify whether the President’s remarks amount to an official government position on Kabiru’s fate.
However, the AG argued that his office cannot rely on the President’s pronouncement alone and insisted it has yet to receive any communication from the police administration confirming Kabiru’s death. He requested more time to obtain the necessary information.
The family maintains that the contradictions between the President and the AG point to deliberate concealment.
“Only then can the court proceed to address the consequences of withholding the information,” their lawyers told the judge.
Kabiru is among several Kenyan officers who have faced grave risks in Haiti, where security forces have been battling heavily armed gangs in the capital.
