Kenyan officer killed in Haiti peace mission buried in Kajiado

The solemn ceremony was attended by notable leaders, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Democratic Action Party leader Eugene Wamalwa, among other dignitaries, friends, and colleagues who came to pay their final respects.

Kaetuai's family mourned him as a vibrant young man with great ambitions. They expressed hope that some of his dreams, as outlined in his eulogy, would be realized with the support of the government and those who were close to him.

Kajiado East MP Kakuta Maimai emphasized the need for government support, stating, "We hope the government will provide substantial compensation to this family, as he was the first Kenyan police officer to die in Haiti. Foreign missions are common, and we should pray for our many young officers serving abroad. However, let’s ensure that when a soldier dies, we give them a proper sendoff. We don’t want any politics in his burial."

DAKP Party leader Eugene Wamalwa also spoke at the ceremony, saying, "We are here to mourn. It is a sad day for the entire country, as he was the first Kenyan police officer to die in Haiti. We have a great history of peacekeeping as a nation. We won’t talk about politics because the government leaders did not attend, fearing that we would discuss how SHA and the government have failed. However, we won’t allow that to distract us, because every Kenyan with a payslip, including police officers, is feeling the heat."

He further raised concerns about the Haiti mission, adding, "As the opposition, we have raised concerns about the Haiti mission. Samuel has done his part; there are concerns that need to be addressed, especially regarding the hurried manner. Our courts have made decisions and issued orders that were not respected by the government. Biden was pushing the Kenyan government, and we want to inform the US Embassy that the Trump administration has cut funding. We do not know what policy direction this will take, given the uncertainty surrounding the funding and the poor equipping of our team. If the USA does not fund the mission, our officers will be exposed due to underfunding and inadequate equipment. If this uncertainty continues, Kenya should disengage if the mission will not be taken over by the UN."

The officer lost his life while participating in a peacekeeping operation in Haiti, after being attacked by armed gangs.

The Multinational Security Support Mission confirmed his death on social media platform X in late February, stating that a Kenyan officer had succumbed to injuries sustained during an operation.

The National Police Service later corroborated the report, revealing that he had come under fire from suspected gang members on a Sunday. Despite efforts to rush him to the hospital for emergency treatment, he did not survive his wounds.

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 U.S. government, under President Donald Trump’s directive, suspended international funding. However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later issued a waiver, allowing the operation to proceed.

Haiti has been grappling with escalating 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 surge in violence has displaced over a million Haitians, according to the UN’s migration agency.