Kenyan Commander says Haiti Mission on course despite officer’s death
MSS commander Godfrey Otunge said officers deployed to the Caribbean nation remain upbeat and are proud of their role in restoring stability in a country battered by gang violence.
The Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti has downplayed challenges facing Kenyan officers, insisting that peacekeeping efforts remain on course despite the recent death of Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve in a road accident.
Speaking on his return to Kenya during a press briefing, MSS commander Godfrey Otunge said officers deployed to the Caribbean nation remain upbeat and are proud of their role in restoring stability in a country battered by gang violence.
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“I can assure you that the decision of our president to decide that at least we go and support our African country in the Caribbean was a wise decision, and as of today, we are very much happy and we are proud of what we have done,” Otunge said, praising President William Ruto for authorising the deployment.
He confirmed that arrangements are underway to repatriate the body of Corporal Nzuve, a member of the National Police Service’s Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU). The officer died following a crash along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road at Perlerin 9 and was pronounced dead at Lambert Santé Hospital in Pétion-Ville.
“The second officer died on Sunday. We had a road accident, and he died as a result of it. He is called Corporal Kennedy Nzuve, and we are preparing for how to bring his body back home,” Otunge said.
He also confirmed that officers are still searching for their colleague Benedict Kabiru Kuria, who went missing in March 2025 following a gang attack.
While reiterating that most officers are satisfied with the mission, Otunge acknowledged that they are still facing early-stage challenges.
“As it is, we have teething problems that are being addressed by the donors,” he said.
His remarks came a week after UN Secretary General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the situation in Haiti was being overlooked and required urgent international action.
“The people of Haiti are in a perfect storm of suffering. State authority is crumbling as gang violence engulfs Port-au-Prince and spreads beyond — paralysing daily life and forcing families to flee. Civilians are under siege with appalling reports of rape and sexual violence. Hospitals and schools are under repeated attack. The rule of law has collapsed,” Guterres said.
“The humanitarian toll is staggering: 1.3 million people, half of them children, have fled their homes. Six million people need humanitarian assistance. Haiti is now among the five global hunger hotspots of ‘highest concern’. Aid workers, especially local responders, are being targeted, facing threats of violence, extortion and kidnapping.”
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