Pain of Haiti: Family of killed officer says son was 'our only hope'

A heap of building stones lying beside Samuel Kaetuai's house remains the stark reminder of one of the unfulfilled dreams he had of building a comfortable home for his young family and parents. 

The sight of building works alone tells of the life of the young man cut short in the line of international duty, protecting lives in Haiti, which has disoriented the humble family in Naiserian, Kajiado East sub-county. 

A home that was once filled with hope, during The Standard's visit on Tuesday 25, was now eerily quiet, with a group of mourners battling to come to terms with the sudden death of Samuel.

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In a frail voice disturbed by emotion as tears roll down her cheeks, his widow, Naomi Samuel, narrated how she last spoke to her late husband -last week.

She however never heard from him again since he had informed her and their children of the intensity of operations.

"He had been mute for some time and it was last week that we spoke when I texted him to inquire why he was silent. He asked me about the kids and he talked to them. Since then, we have not been able to communicate until we received the news of his death on Monday around 10am," Naomi told The Standard.  

"It is unbelievably sad. I was expecting to receive him back home as he had planned to attend his sister's wedding in April," she added, her once hope clouded with tears she could no longer hold back while recalling her almost five-year marriage with Samuel. 

"We got married in 2020 and he landed his job in 2021 and went to training the whole year," she paused to wipe her tears, disclosing the great plans he had for his family. 

The mother of two- a four-year-old and one and a half-year-old, said her late husband had planned to construct his family and her parent's permanent houses.

Her plea to the government is to support her young children to get the life their dad had wanted for them.

According to the parents, Samuel was the lifeblood of the family's sustenance and they are yet to come to terms with the unfortunate turn of events.

They described him as a man full of life and one who kept the family's hopes alive.

"We are in denial that my son is dead. I want to confirm if truly my son is dead," said the father, Kaetuai, urging the State to expedite the process of flying the body home." 

"I can't believe yet. Once I confirm, I will pick my son's body to bury and let him rest in peace," Kaetuai asked the government, saying the news has shuttered their life as a family. 

He said they received the news of his son's demise from government officials who visited his homestead on Monday morning.

"They told us they would come back today (Tuesday) evening after "consulting." 

Samuel's mother, Jennifer Kaetuai, is devastated following the losing an obedient and responsible son whom she said, passionately cared for his parents, siblings and family.

"My son was a good man. He loved everyone. He used to provide for us without complaining and was focused on educating his other siblings," she narrated in a trembling voice. For Amos Kaetuai, Samuel was more than a brother. He was a person of "few words but firm and oud in actions." 

Benjamin Tipatet, his uncle remembers Samuel as a selfless person who dreamt large.

He had plans so that this place became much greener. We would like to ask the President to look into these issues around our gallant solder. For his parents and young wife and a programme for his children to go to school and also have a borehole drilled.

The Empuyiankat assistant chief, Noah Leshaitin, said the village is saddened by the loss.

“We lost a young man who was dedicated to serving his country and we had a lot of expectations from him.” 

"We received with profound sadness the news of his death. We are deeply hurt." area Area MCA Joshua Keio Oluwuasa, Kaputei North Ward, asked the state to swiftly facilitate bringing the body home.

"This will help the family heal from the loss. He died in the line of duty and while serving the nation.”

Samuel was among the more than 600 police officers deployed to Haiti as part of a United Nations-backed mission to curb gang violence.

The mission, approved in 2023, has however faced logistical and financial challenges, including funding delays and concerns over the officers’ welfare.

President William Ruto committed to sending up to 1,000 officers, making Kenya the leading contributor to the force.

Kenya however sent the police team to Haiti despite a spirited battle pulled by rights groups and an order by the courts that they could not be deployed for security assignments outside Kenya.

Justice Chacha Mwita, in his decision, last year said the deployment would be illegal since the National Security Council does not have the authority to send police officers outside the country.

According to the Constitution, the judge said, that only the Kenya Defence Forces can be deployed outside the country.

The case was filed by Thirdway Alliance Party leader Ekuru Aukot, the party and its chairperson Mururu Waweru and supported by the Orange Democratic Movement and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK).

The petitioners sued President William Ruto, then Interior Cabinet Secretary Professor Kithure Kindiki (current Deputy President), former, Police IG Japhet Koome, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Attorney General and the National Security Council.

In the case, Aukot, ODM and LSK argued that Kenya needed policing as does Haiti, citing insecurity cases that had rocked the country in Coastal and Northern Frontier District counties.

They also argued that there is no reciprocal arrangement between Kenya and the Caribbean country and, therefore, there can be no deployment of police officers to that country.

The United Nations on October 2, endorsed the deployment of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) to Haiti.

The resolution was endorsed by 13 of the 15-member council which included African representatives: Ghana, Gabon and Mozambique which paved the way for Kenya’s deployment.

On the other hand, AG, Koome and Kindiki claimed the deployment is a political matter, arguing that the court has no powers to entertain the case as only the executive and the national assembly can deal with it.

The three officials said that Kenya was acting on a request to assist Haiti in beefing up her security.

They also argued that the case was premature as Parliament had not decided whether to send the police to Haiti or not.

“The issue has not been determined by the other organs. Parliament is an oversight organ, and that had not been done,” they replied.

According to the three, the use of national forces includes the police, KDF and National Intelligence Service (NIS).