The family of Benedict Kabiru, a Kenyan police officer who went missing in Haiti two weeks ago, has been summoned to appear at Vigilance House for counselling.

This, according to Daniel Ndungu, who is the family spokesperson, is a development that has left them bracing for potentially devastating news.

Ndungu told The Standard that the request came from government officials on Wednesday, instructing close family members to report to the National Police Headquarters in Nairobi on Thursday morning.

He said that they were also told the means of transport would be provided. However, no further details were provided on the purpose of the meeting beyond the mention of “counselling.”

For the past two weeks, the family of Kabiru has lived in distress, clinging to hope that their kin would be found.

The 31-year-old officer was part of the 700-member Kenyan police contingent deployed to Haiti under The Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to help restore law and order amid the spiralling gang violence in the country.

Kabiru was reported missing following a gang ambush, while two other officers were injured.

In the days that followed, conflicting reports emerged, with the Haitian authorities claiming the officer had been killed, with his body held by gang members.

A disturbing video circulated online showing the body of the officer lying on the ground lifeless.

However, MSS spokesperson Jack Ombaka dismissed the footage as propaganda, asserting that Kabiru was still missing.

“Many of the Haitian gangs thrive on propaganda. Given the current technological climate, particularly with the advent of AI, it is highly unlikely that the video in circulation depicts Benedict Kabiru,” said Ombaka.

Despite the reassurances, the family of Kabiru said they have received no official briefing.

The sudden request to attend a counselling session has stirred anxiety and a sense that the long-awaited closure, painful as it may be, could finally be arriving.

This development comes just a day after Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen addressed the matter on Tuesday.

During a media interview, Murkomen confirmed that so far, only one Kenyan police officer had died while on duty in Haiti, while two others had sustained injuries, and one officer widely understood to be Kabiru remained unaccounted for.

“It is not true that many of our police officers have lost their lives. You cannot hide it because the officers who have gone to Haiti are accountable by number. We know we lost a police officer, unfortunately. We feel very sad about the circumstances under which we lost him,” said Murkomen.

He stated that two of the injured officers are recovering well and maintained that despite ongoing gang threats, most of the deployed officers are safe.

Addressing Kabiru’s case directly, Murkomen said the search to locate him is still underway and denied allegations that the government has been concealing information.

“Even if you want to hide it, it is impossible because the police officers have families back home, and they communicate. There are over 700 officers; you cannot hide anything from them since they talk to their families and the media,” he said.

Murkomen also said that the government has a policy of notifying families directly before making public statements about such incidents.

“We have been giving factual information about the mission so that we do not hurt families. When something happens, we make sure that their families have been approached first before making the information public,” said Murkomen.

Kabiru was among the first 400 Kenyan officers deployed to Haiti in early 2024, with a second batch of 300 following soon after.