The Attorney General has told the High Court that his office is not aware of reports that Kenyan officer Bernard Kabiru died in Haiti, despite President William Ruto’s public statement at the United Nations General Assembly naming him among three officers who lost their lives while on duty.
The revelation came during the hearing of a petition filed by Kabiru’s family, who accuse the government of withholding critical information about the fate of their relative. Their lawyers argued that the President’s remarks in New York amounted to an official acknowledgment of Kabiru’s death and should have settled the family’s quest for answers.
“If the President’s statement is accurate, then it effectively disposes of the request for information since confirmation has already been made at the highest level,” the court heard.
The petitioners maintained that the Attorney General must now clarify whether the President’s position is correct, insisting that only then can the court address the consequences of the alleged withholding of information.
In his address to world leaders on Tuesday, President Ruto had paid tribute to three Kenyan officers Samuel Kitwai, Benedict Kabiru, and Kennedy Nzuve whom he said died in the line of duty during Kenya’s peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
However, the Attorney General has distanced his office from that position, telling the court that no such confirmation has been received from the police administration. The AG requested more time to obtain a formal report before responding substantively to the petition.
The conflicting accounts have deepened the family’s concerns, with their lawyers terming the contradictions a matter requiring urgent clarification by the court.
