Kenyan Police Deny Deaths in Haiti Mission

The National Police Service (NPS) has firmly dismissed recent reports suggesting that some of its officers, deployed to Haiti on a U.N.-backed peacekeeping mission, have been killed.

The rumors began circulating online over the weekend, claiming that seven Kenyan police officers had been killed in the war-torn Caribbean nation. Armed gangs in Haiti were alleged to have increased pressure against the deployed troops, leading to these purported casualties.

A widely circulated image showed Kenyan police patrolling a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, with the text, "7 Kenya police reported dead in Haiti aki [President William Ruto] God will never forgive you," adding fuel to the rumors.

Kenya police patrolling in streets of Haiti. Image Courtesy

However, on Monday morning, the NPS labeled the image and accompanying claims as fake. The police service did not provide further details about the mission or the current status of the Kenyan troops in Haiti.

The first batch of approximately 400 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti on June 25. Kenyan President William Ruto had ceremonially seen off the police officers a day earlier in Nairobi, describing the mission as a "historic" act of solidarity.

More police officers from Kenya and other nations are expected to join the mission in the coming weeks.

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Stay tuned for more updates as the situation unfolds and the mission progresses.