After a violent altercation with criminal gangs in Seguin in Pont-Sonde, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a Kenyan police officer died from gunshot wounds on Sunday while undergoing medical treatment in a hospital.
After being shot and critically wounded, the male officer was part of a team that had set out to dismantle a local gang.
According to Godfrey Otunge, commander of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, he was taken to Level Two Aspen Hospital, where he passed away from his wounds.
‘One of our MSS officers from the Kenyan contingent suffered injuries on February 23, 2025, while participating in an operation in the Artibonite department in Segur-Savien. After being transported to Aspen Level 2 Hospital right away, the cop tragically passed away from his wounds,’ he stated in a statement.
Since the Kenyan squad arrived in the Caribbean country on June 25, 2024, to assist in the containment of criminal gangs, this is the first casualty on the team.
Of the 1,000 officers required, Kenya has roughly 800.
According to Otunge, Kenyan police have been carrying out constant security operations in Artibonite over the past week, effectively dismantling a number of gangs.
In reaction, the people of Pont-Sonde’s Seguin started requesting similar measures in their community.
The courageous Kenyan police officers took the call after hearing their entreaties. Our brave officer was slain while defending the Haitian people, and this is the price he paid. Unable to accept the defeat, his fellow officers went for the offending gang member and neutralized him right away.
He expressed gratitude to the hospital’s medical staff for their valiant efforts to save the officer’s life and to the El Salvador Causality Evacuation (CASEVAC) team for their prompt response.
A UN-approved international force consisting of 2,500 officers from different nations will include the Kenyan team.
There are worries that even if the team is successful in forcing the gangs out of this bastion, they will be able to swiftly return because there won’t be an instant and permanent occupation by the army or the police.
However, security experts warn that even 1,000 security troops or the mission’s intended goal of 2,500 is insufficient.
Approximately 900 law enforcement officers and military personnel from Kenya, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala, and Belize are there.
