Kenyan police officer killed in Haiti accident identified
Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve was killed on August 31, 2025, after two armoured MaxxPro vehicles were involved in a tragic crash along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road at Pèlerin 9 in Port-au-Prince.
A Kenyan police officer who died in a road accident in Haiti on Sunday has been identified as Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve, aged 41.
Nzuve was killed on August 31, 2025, after two armoured MaxxPro vehicles were involved in a tragic crash along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road at Pèlerin 9 in Port-au-Prince.
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A civilian also lost their life in the incident, while eight officers serving under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission were injured, three of them critically.
“Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve was pronounced dead at Lambert Santé Hospital in Pétion-Ville,” MSS said in a statement, describing him as “a proud member of Kenya’s 3rd contingent to the MSS, where he consistently demonstrated courage, dedication, and unwavering commitment until his untimely passing.”
Born on March 8, 1984, in Machakos County, Nzuve joined the National Police Service in 2005 and later served with the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU). Over his career, he served in Narok and Baringo before being deployed to Haiti.
On Monday, September 1, 2025, MSS personnel from Kenya, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Guatemala, alongside staff from DMG, Amentum, Aspen, and GardaWorld, gathered at the main dining facility at LSA1 in Port-au-Prince for a solemn memorial service. MSS said his remains were later flown to the Dominican Republic for preservation ahead of repatriation to Kenya.
“From all of us at MSS-Haiti, our thoughts and prayers are with Corporal Nzuve’s family, friends, and colleagues as they grieve this profound loss. We also wish a speedy recovery to those injured, who are thankfully out of danger,” MSS said, while thanking the Forces Armées d’Haïti (FAd’H), the Haitian National Police (PNH), residents and MSS officers who assisted in rescue efforts.
National Police Service (NPS) spokesman Muchiri Nyaga confirmed that the accident also claimed the lives of two civilians and left eight officers injured.
“The next of kin have been notified. The incident occurred during a recovery operation involving two MaxxPro vehicles. During the towing process, an unfortunate accident happened, which also claimed the lives of two civilians and injured eight other MSS officers. Three of the injured are in a serious condition and are currently receiving medical care in the hospital,” Nyaga said.
He added that arrangements were underway to repatriate the officer’s body to Kenya while ensuring the injured officers received the best possible medical care.
MSS spokesman Jack Ombaka said the crash happened at about 5 p.m. during a towing operation after one of the vehicles developed mechanical failure.
“While one was towing the other due to a mechanical failure, an accident occurred. Unfortunately, civilians were also involved,” he said.
According to MSS, one vehicle struck a wall while the other overturned. The injured were rushed to Lambert Santé Hospital, where Corporal Nzuve and a civilian were pronounced dead.
This was the second tragedy to strike the security effort in Haiti within a week. Less than two weeks earlier, two members of the Haiti National Police SWAT unit were killed in a “kamikaze” drone explosion. The mission has also lost two members in gang ambushes, while one officer remains missing.
Images shared online after Sunday’s crash showed Haitians trying to assist in rescue efforts along the mountaintop road, which was blocked to traffic, forcing motorists to seek alternative routes.
Corporal Nzuve becomes the third Kenyan officer to die in Haiti since deployment began in June 2024. Kenya currently leads the UN-backed multinational mission with about 800 officers working alongside local police to counter armed gangs that have taken control of much of Port-au-Prince.
The accident occurred as pressure mounts on the UN Security Council to reinforce the MSS. A letter co-signed by the United States, Canada, Kenya, Jamaica, the Bahamas, El Salvador, and Guatemala warned that the MSS mission “lacks the resources and capacity to fully meet the growing challenge.”
During a Security Council meeting last week, Washington’s acting envoy to the UN, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, said the US and Panama were preparing a draft resolution to establish a Gang Suppression Force and a UN Support Office.
“The next international force must be resourced to hold territory, secure infrastructure, and complement the Haitian National Police,” she said.
“In parallel, a comprehensive approach is required to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking, and other illicit flows fueling instability.”
Haiti has remained unstable since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. A transitional council that took power in 2024 after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned has pledged to hold elections before the end of its mandate in February 2026.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 3,141 people were killed in Haiti in the first half of 2025.
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