
In a harrowing turn of events, Corporal Kennedy Mutuku Nzuve—a respected officer deployed to Haiti—was confirmed dead following a devastating armored vehicle crash that also claimed civilian lives and left multiple fellow officers injured.
The accident occurred on August 31 along a treacherous stretch of the Kenscoff–Pétion-Ville road near Port-au-Prince during a recovery operation involving two U.S.-donated MaxxPro armored vehicles. One vehicle, acting as a tow for the other, suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, resulting in a deadly crash that sent shockwaves through the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. Nzuve was rushed to Lambert Santé Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Born on March 8, 1984, in Machakos County, Nzuve joined the National Police Service in 2005 and rose through the ranks to serve in the elite Rapid Deployment Unit. His distinguished career saw him stationed in Narok and Baringo before he was selected for Kenya’s third contingent to the MSS mission in Haiti.
His loss was mourned across the base: “He demonstrated unwavering dedication and courage until his last moment,” said MSS officials, who held a solemn memorial at their base in Pétion-Ville before arranging for his remains to be preserved and flown to the Dominican Republic ahead of repatriation to Kenya.
Eight other Kenyan officers were seriously wounded in the crash, three critically. They are receiving intensive medical care, some having been airlifted for advanced treatment.
Kenyan and mission authorities are now racing to ensure the safe return of Nzuve’s body and full recovery of the injured, while also reevaluating mission protocols to prevent such tragedies going forward.