Body of Kenyan officer killed in Haiti peacekeeping mission arrives in Nairobi

Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police Service, Gilbert Masengeli, led a group of officers to receive the fallen officer's remains.

Also present were nominated Senator Peris Tobiko, family members, and friends, led by the late officer’s father,  Salaash Kaetuai.

The body has been transferred to Chiromo Mortuary for preservation while burial preparations are underway.

The date of the burial is expected to be announced in the coming days.

Officer Kaetuai was killed by armed gangs while participating in a peacekeeping operation in Haiti. 

The Multinational Security Support Mission confirmed his death on the social media platform X in late February, stating that a Kenyan officer died as a result of injuries sustained while conducting an operation.

The National Police Service later acknowledged the officer’s death, reporting that he had come under fire from suspected gang members on Sunday. 

Despite efforts to rush him to the hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds, he did not survive.

Kenya's Foreign Ministry Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei expressed his condolences on X, saying he was "heartbroken by the loss of a member of Kenya’s deployment."

The peacekeeping mission in Haiti faced temporary uncertainty in February when the US government, under President Donald Trump’s directive, suspended international funding. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later issued a waiver, allowing the funding for the Haiti operation to proceed.

Haiti has been grappling with a surge of gang violence, with the United Nations reporting that at least 5,601 people were killed in gang-related incidents last year—1,000 more than in 2023. 

The UN also documented 315 lynchings of alleged gang members and 281 suspected summary executions by police. This ongoing violence has displaced over a million Haitians, according to the UN’s migration agency.