A mother's search for truth: Jacinta Kabiru’s agony over her son's fate in Haiti
The conflicting reports have left Jacinta in emotional turmoil, uncertain whether to grieve or hold on to the hope that her son is still alive.
Jacinta Wanjiku Kabiru is a mother caught in a whirlwind of pain and uncertainty, clinging onto the hope that her son, Benedict Kabiru, is still alive despite troubling reports.
The agony of not knowing whether he is dead or missing has left her distraught, and she is now pleading with the government for clearer, more accurate information.
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“Since Wednesday at 6:30 am, the report I got from the AP sub-county commander in Kikuyu is that my son was missing, but I have not heard anything further,” she told NTV, her voice shaking with emotion.
Benedict Kabiru, a Kenyan police officer deployed in Haiti as part of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, was reported to have been killed by gangs during an operation in Savien, a town northwest of Porto-au-Prince.
Local media in Haiti claimed that a Kenyan member of the MSS had been killed, and videos circulating online showed an officer’s body lying on the ground, bloodied and lifeless.
However, Jack Ombaka, the MSS spokesperson, did not confirm the identity of the officer but said that a Kenyan police officer had gone missing after their convoy was ambushed by gangs.
The attack occurred on Tuesday around 4:30 pm when the officer’s vehicle, a Haitian National Police armoured vehicle, got stuck in a ditch along the Carrefour Paye-Savien Main Supply Route in the Pont-Sonde area.
"The vehicle got stuck in a ditch suspected to have been deliberately dug by the gangs," Ombaka explained.
As the recovery mission was underway, one of the MRAP vehicles also got stuck, while another developed a mechanical issue. Suspected gang members attacked during the recovery operation, and as a result, one Kenyan officer remains unaccounted for.
The MSS has since deployed specialised teams to search for the missing officer, but no updates have been released from the Kenyan team in Haiti.
On Thursday, Haiti’s Presidential Transitional Council confirmed the death of a Kenyan officer, following local media reports and online footage. But Wanjiku refuses to believe it.
“Reports on social media claim my son was killed, but I want the government to return him to me the way he left,” she said, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke to NTV.
"The last conversation I had with him was two days before his disappearance. He told me he had been moved from the city to a rice field in Central Haiti, a hotspot for gang violence. But he remained hopeful, saying he only had four months left before his mission ended and he could return home."
The conflicting reports have left Wanjiku in emotional turmoil, uncertain whether to grieve or hold on to the hope that her son is still alive.
“My demand to the government is that I want my son the way I left him—alive and well. He is my firstborn, and I am a single mother. He is the only hope for my family,” she said.
While Wanjiku has heard the reports claiming Kabiru’s death, she is pleading with the public to stop spreading rumours.
"For those saying that Kabiru is dead, please stop. Kabiru is alive. Kabiru will live,” she pleaded, adding that the circulating images and stories have caused her family immeasurable pain.
Now, Wanjiku and her family are left in a state of confusion and distress, struggling to navigate between conflicting reports from official and unofficial sources, waiting for answers that may never come.
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