Kenyan Officer Missing After Haiti Ambush as Gangs Escalate Attacks

Kenya Police officers in Haiti

A Kenyan police officer deployed in Haiti as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has gone missing following a violent attack by suspected gang members in the troubled Caribbean nation.

The attack occurred on Tuesday, March 25, when MSS officers responded to a distress call to assist a Haitian National Police (HNP) armored vehicle that had gotten stuck in a ditch, believed to have been dug by the gangs. 

As the team worked to recover the vehicle, they came under heavy fire from the armed attackers.

"Unfortunately, during the recovery operation, one of the MSS Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles also got stuck, while the other developed a mechanical issue," MSS spokesperson Jack Ombaka stated.

On March 25, 2025, at approximately 16:30 hrs, a Haitian National Police (HNP) armored vehicle on patrol along the Carrefour Paye-Savien Main Supply Route in the Pont-Sonde area, Artibonite Department, got stuck in a ditch—suspected to have been deliberately dug by gangs. In… pic.twitter.com/arBhTKT6aj

— Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti (@MSSMHaiti) March 26, 2025 

"As the rescue teams attempted to resolve the situation, suspected gang members lying in wait launched an attack. As a result, one Kenyan contingent officer remains unaccounted for."

Specialized teams have since been deployed to conduct an intensive search for the missing officer, although local reports suggest he may have been killed—claims yet to be confirmed by officials.

This incident marks yet another grim moment for Kenya’s peacekeeping mission in Haiti. 

Kenya Police officers in Haiti

Just last month, a 26-year-old Kenyan police constable, Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai, was fatally shot during an operation in Ségur-Savien, becoming the first Kenyan casualty since the deployment began in June last year. 

His body was flown back home and laid to rest on Wednesday, March 19.

The Kenyan-led MSS force, tasked with restoring stability to Haiti, has faced increasing hostility from heavily armed gangs that have taken control of large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding regions. 

Last year alone, over 5,500 people were killed in gang-related violence, with more than a million displaced.