Fresh Details of Kenyan Officer who Went Missing in Haiti Emerge

The Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti has issued an update on Kenyan police officer Benedict Kabiru, who was reported missing following a gang attack during an operation.

MSS Spokesperson Jack Ombaka broke his silence on Saturday, April 5, regarding videos circulating online that allegedly show the officer’s final moments.

In an interview with NTV, Ombaka was asked whether the mission had verified the authenticity of the videos shared online and whether the missing officer’s family had been officially briefed on the truth behind them.

The MSS spokesperson stated that the first step the mission took was to contact the officer’s next of kin and family members.

However, he dismissed the authenticity of the videos, claiming they had been doctored using Artificial Intelligence (AI) by Haiti-based gangs, which he said, “thrive on propaganda.”

MSS spokesperson speaks on alleged video of Kenyan officer

Ombaka claimed that “the gangs were thriving in propaganda when the Kenyan contingent arrived, and that a lot of mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that they don’t use social media in spreading the same propaganda.”

“About the video, one thing that is very clear here in Haiti is that many of the Haitian gangs thrive on propaganda. That video in circulation, and more so in the advent of AI, it is very unlikely that it is a video of Benedict,” he said.

“I can tell you for a fact with all the information that we have that video is not authentic.”

Also Read: Two More Kenyan Police Officers Injured in Haiti

At the same time, the MSS spokesperson maintained that the mission is using all the available resources to establish where the officer is, adding that progress has been made.

“All the actors, the local Haitian population, the Haitian government, the international partners, are all helping us trace the officer who is still missing in action,” he added.

Ombaka was also asked to explain the MSS protocol for updating the families of Kenyan officers back home, many of whom have claimed to be in the dark about the welfare of their relatives serving in Haiti as part of the mission.

He explained that the Office of the MSS Spokesperson also serves as the Office of the Director of Strategic Communication—two roles that have been merged into one.

According to him, the reason behind merging the two offices is to ensure that information reaches the target audience as quickly as possible.

Kenyan officers in Haiti are well facilitated to communicate with family members

Ombaka stated that when the Kenyan contingent first arrived in Haiti, communication with families back home was a major challenge. This prompted the establishment of Wi-Fi facilities at all MSS bases.

He added that the Government of Kenya is providing every officer with airtime and data bundles to enable easy communication with their loved ones back home.

“The mechanism, as part of communication with the outside world, especially communicating with Kenya, we have so many of our social handles that we have shared online, and every time there is an incident either positive or negative, we share this in our social handles,” he added.

“As MSS, we have opened our doors and windows to the media so that if there are any questions to be answered or be asked, we are there for them to share.”

Two MSS Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles were dispatched to assist in the recovery. One of the MRAPs, however also got stuck, while the other developed mechanical issues.  

Ombaka at the time added that as the rescue teams attempted to resolve the situation, suspected gang members lying in wait launched an attack, resulting in the Kenyan officer going unaccounted for.

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