Kenyan police officer who died on mission to Haiti buried as family seeks answers

Walter Nyankieya, the Police Inspector found dead at a hotel in Washington DC in February while on a mission to Haiti, was on Friday laid to rest at his family home in Keroka, Nyamira County, with his family seeking answers from the government on the details surrounding his mysterious death.

Nyankieya was part of an advance security team dispatched to Haiti on a reconnaissance mission ahead of the planned deployment of Kenyan police officers to Port-au-Prince as part of the UN-Security Council-backed mission to restore order to the gang-overrun Caribbean nation.

However, in an unfortunate turn of events, Nyankieya was discovered dead in a hotel room in Washington DC on February 13, three days after he left Kenya alongside his colleagues.

"After consulting family and friends we decided to lay our son to rest but our lawyer will be moving to court to follow up on the matter. We need to know what happened to our son," Philip Nyamato, the deceased's father, said.

"He was a senior police officer; his mysterious death should not go unanswered. We have asked for a provisional report from the government on his death but they still haven't responded weeks after his passing."

The international delegation planning to dispatch security officers to Haiti has since confirmed that Nyankieya was part of the deployed reconnaissance team, expressing regret over the loss of an officer who made a significant contribution to the mission to Haiti.

"The deceased was recently placed as a delegate of the multi-national security support mission where he diligently worked alongside other multi-agency officers. The country, NPS and the mission team have indeed suffered a great loss," David Kabiru, a representative of the NIS Director General said.  

Representatives from the National Police Service present at the funeral mourned Nyankieya, labelling his death regretful and unfortunate.

"Walter was an officer who had respect for authority. He was firm and forward in his dealings with his colleagues and juniors," Administration Police Director, Operations, Geoffrey Otunge said.  

The bereaved family is now appealing to the government to furnish them with Nyankieya's autopsy report and death certificate, as they seek closure and peace of mind during this difficult time