Trouble for President William Ruto After Declaring Police Officer Dead During UNGA Summit

New York/ Nairobi, September 23, 2025 – President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency William Ruto, is currently in the United States of America attending the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit.

Accompanied by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, President Ruto has been participating in high-level discussions on peace, global security, and sustainable development.

While addressing the summit, President Ruto strongly criticized world leaders for neglecting the crisis in Haiti, accusing them of failing to remit adequate funds to support the international peacekeeping mission.

According to Ruto, the global community has abandoned Haiti at its hour of greatest need, despite the Caribbean nation struggling under the grip of violent gangs.

However, the Head of State’s remarks took a controversial turn when he publicly declared Police Officer Benedict Kabiru dead.

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While reading out the names of Kenyan officers reportedly killed in action during the Haiti peacekeeping mission, Ruto mentioned Kabiru as among those who had lost their lives.

This announcement has since sparked uproar back home in Kenya. According to a report by Citizen TV, the family of Officer Kabiru has filed a petition in court seeking to compel the government to clarify his whereabouts.

The family insists that they had only been informed that the officer went missing in action, allegedly abducted by a gang in Port-au-Prince, but were never officially told he had died.

“We want the government to produce him, whether alive or dead. We have been given conflicting information, and this public declaration has only added to our pain,” a family member was quoted as saying.

Legal experts note that the case could open a sensitive debate over the government’s communication with families of officers deployed abroad. Kenya has in recent months committed hundreds of police officers to support international peacekeeping efforts in Haiti, a move that has been both praised and criticized at home.

The controversy comes at a time when President Ruto is using the UNGA summit to push Kenya’s foreign policy agenda and highlight Africa’s role in solving global crises. However, the backlash over his statement on Officer Kabiru threatens to overshadow his diplomatic mission.

As the court case unfolds, the government is under pressure to issue a clear and official update on the fate of the missing officer, even as questions mount over the safety and welfare of Kenyan police officers serving in volatile regions abroad.