The Kenyan police command under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has dismissed reports claiming that many Kenyan officers have suffered serious injuries while on duty in Haiti.
Speaking on NTV on Saturday evening, MSS Spokesperson Jack Ombaka dismissed recent reports in media suggesting that the gangs were taking a toll on the Kenyan officers following the reports of the death of another Kenyan officer while in Haiti.
According to Ombaka, several individuals are spreading propaganda about the officers' operations in Haiti and wishing them ill while on duty—actions he warned could have negative consequences on the mission.
''The so-called serious injuries, those are wishful thinking, and, regrettably, there are people outside there who are just praying for Kenyans to get serious injuries. The truth is that we do not have serious injuries,'' Ombaka maintained.
Ombaka revealed that any officers injured during the support mission are routinely evacuated to the Dominican Republic for treatment, dismissing claims that the injuries have had a significant impact on the team.
Additionally, the Spokesperson stated that all the officers who suffered injuries in Haiti following the recent ambush by gangs have been brought back to their Haiti base after recovery.
However, when pushed to explain the exact number of officers who have suffered injuries at the hands of the criminal elements, Ombaka maintained that it was only a couple of officers who had suffered injuries without providing a clear number.
''The number cannot go beyond three. The last bunch of the three just arrived here and are back to base, so at the moment, we don't have injuries,'' he added.
On Monday this week, Reuters did a story suggesting that a Kenyan police officer in Haiti, together with his colleague, was nursing serious injuries after suffering a gunshot to the head during deadly clashes with Haitian gangs over the past week.
The sad turn of events was revealed by three officers who were speaking on the condition of anonymity and disclosed that the officer was shot in the head after a bullet pierced his helmet, and the other was hit in the ear when a gunshot penetrated the walls of an armoured vehicle.
Video of Missing Officer
Following the circulation of a video allegedly showing missing Kenyan officer Benedict Kabiru in a gang-controlled area, the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission has dismissed the claims, stating the individual in the footage is not the missing officer.
According to MSS, the video is part of a propaganda campaign by criminal elements in Haiti aimed at tarnishing the image of the mission.
''One thing that is very clear in Haiti is that many of the gangs here thrive on propaganda. That video in circulation, and more so in the advent of AI, is very unlikely to be the video of Benedict,'' Ombaka added.
As of April 2025, approximately 750 Kenyan police officers had been deployed to Haiti as part of the United Nations-backed MSS mission. This contingent is part of Kenya's commitment to send a total of 1,000 officers to assist in stabilizing the Caribean nation.
