The Kenyan police officer who was killed in an accident
along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road at Pèlerin 9 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was
identified as Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve.
He was killed on August 31, 2025, in a tragic road traffic
accident along with a civilian after two armored vehicles were involved in an
accident along a mountaintop road above Port-au-Prince.
In addition to the deaths, eight Kenyan-led Multinational
Security Support Mission (MSS) officers were injured, three of them critically,
officials said.
“Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve was pronounced dead at
Lambert Santé Hospital in Pétion-Ville,” MSS said in a statement.
The statement said Corporal Nzuve was 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, he joined the
National Police Service in 2005 and later served with the Rapid Deployment Unit
(RDU).
Over the years, he served with distinction in various parts
of Kenya, including Narok and Baringo counties, before taking up his final
mission in Haiti.
On Monday, September 1, 2025, the MSS family—including
personnel from Kenya, the Bahamas, Jamaica, El Salvador, Guatemala, alongside
staff from DMG, Amentum, Aspen, and GardaWorld—gathered at the main dining
facility (Defac) at LSA1 to honor his memory in a solemn service before his
remains were flown to the Dominican Republic for preservation and onward
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,” the statement said.
The National Police Service (NPS) spokesman, Muchiri Nyaga
said they received the tragic news of the death on Monday morning.
“The next of kin have been notified.
He said the MSS officers were involved in a tragic road
traffic accident on the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville Road in the Pèlerin 9 area.
“The incident occurred during a recovery operation involving
two MaxxPro vehicles. During the towing process, the 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 hospital,” he said.
He said the service is making arrangements to repatriate the
officer’s body to Kenya and is ensuring the injured personnel continue to
receive the best possible medical care.
MSS spokesman Jack Ombaka said the accident occurred at
approximately 5 p.m. Sunday, August 31, 2025, along the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville
road at Pèlerin 9 in the capital, during a recovery operation involving two
MaxxPro vehicles.
“While one was towing the other due to a mechanical failure,
an accident occurred,” he said.
“Unfortunately, civilians were also involved.”
The MaxxPro vehicles are the largest of the armored vehicles
donated by the United States for use by the mission.
While one vehicle crashed into a wall, another subsequently
overturned, the MSS said in an earlier statement.
“The injured were rushed to Lambert Santé Hospital in
Pétion-Ville, where an MSS officer and a civilian were pronounced deceased,”
said Ombaka.
This is the second time in a week that the security effort
in Haiti has been struck by tragedy.
Less than two weeks ago, two members of the Haiti National
Police SWAT unit were killed when a “kamikaze” drone exploded on the site where
the officers were.
The mission has also lost two members of its force in gang
ambushes, while one has been confirmed dead and the other is still regarded as
missing.
Images shared online Sunday after the road fatality showed
Haitians on the mountaintop road trying to assist with rescue operations after
the collision, which brought traffic to a halt and forced motorists to seek an
alternative route.
The Kenyan officer becomes the third to be killed since the
officers arrived there in June 2024.
It comes amid efforts to address pressure from gangs
operating in the area.
A group of seven countries, including the United States,
asked the Security Council to strengthen the multinational force tapped to
combat gang violence in Haiti.
Over a year after the Multinational Security Support (MSS)
Mission deployed, with the initial effort led by Kenya, the situation in Haiti
continues to deteriorate, with its capital Port-au-Prince almost entirely under
gang control.
"The MSS mission lacks the resources and capacity to
fully meet the growing challenge," the letter said, co-signed by the
United States, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kenya, and the Bahamas.
Of the 2,500 police officers that the MSS had hoped to
deploy to Haiti, only about 1,000 from six countries have been sent, including
more than 700 from Kenya.
During the Thursday Security Council meeting, the acting US
envoy to the UN said Washington and Panama City were sharing a draft resolution
"to help address the growing violence by establishing a Gang Suppression
Force and creating a UN Support Office."
"The next international force must be resourced to hold
territory, secure infrastructure, and complement the Haitian National
Police," Ambassador Dorothy Shea said, adding: "In parallel, a
comprehensive approach is required to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking,
and other illicit flows fueling instability."
Haiti's political situation has been fraught since President
Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021, fueling instability in the country.
A presidential transition council—which took over the
country in 2024 after Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned—has said it will hold
elections before the end of its mandate in February 2026.
At least 3,141 people have been killed in Haiti during the
first half of this year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights.
Kenya has led the MSS team since June 2024, when they
arrived in Port-au-Prince.
There are about 800 Kenyan personnel under MSS working with
the local police in efforts to fight the gangs.
