NPS: Search underway for missing Kenyan officer in Haiti
By Ascah Mwango, March 26, 2025The Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) has launched a search operation to locate a missing Kenyan police officer who was deployed in Haiti, the National Police Service (NPS) has announced.
The officer disappeared on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, following an attack by suspected gang members in the Pont-Sonde area, Artibonite Department.
According to a statement released by the NPS on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, the officer was reported missing after an ambush along the Carrefour Paye-Savien Main Supply Route. The mission, in collaboration with the Haitian National Police (HNP), has since intensified search and rescue efforts to locate the officer.
Details of the incident reveal that the officer was inside an armoured vehicle belonging to the Haitian National Police when it got stuck in a ditch.
“National Police Service has been notified that a Kenyan police officer serving under the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti is missing. The officer was reported missing while on duty on 25 March 2025, following an ambush incident along the Carrefour Paye-Savien main supply route in the Pont-Sonde area, Artibonite Department,” NPS said in a statement.
“The Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), in collaboration with the Haitian National Police (HNP), is actively conducting a search and rescue operation to locate the missing officer. We commend the National Police officers in Haiti, who remain committed to fulfilling the mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission.”
According to MSSM spokesperson Jack Ombaka, the ditch was deliberately dug by gang members as a trap. In response, two Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles from MSS were dispatched from Pont-Sonde to assist in retrieving the stranded vehicle. However, complications arose when one of the MRAPs also got stuck, while the second suffered mechanical failure.
“Unfortunately, during the recovery efforts, one of the MRAPs also got stuck, while the other developed a mechanical issue. As the rescue teams attempted to resolve the situation, suspected gang members who were lying in wait launched an attack,” Ombaka stated.
During the recovery operation, gang members launched a surprise attack, causing chaos. In the aftermath, one Kenyan officer was found to be missing.
“As a result of the incident, one MSS Kenyan contingent officer remains unaccounted for. Specialised teams have been deployed to conduct a search and determine his whereabouts,” Ombaka added.
Fallen officer
Just last month, on February 23, 2025, Constable Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai was killed in an operation in Ségur-Savien, making him the first Kenyan casualty in the mission. His remains were flown back to Kenya and received at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by his father, Kaetuai Salaash, on March 10, 2025.
The body was later transferred to Chiromo Mortuary before being laid to rest on March 19, 2025.