Leaders pay tribute to fallen Kenyan cop

Leaders paying tribute to Officer Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai in Kajiado on March 19, 2025/ KALONZO MUSYOKA/X

A section of leaders have paid their tributes during the funeral of police officer Samuel Tompoi Kaetuai who died in Haiti during a peacekeeping mission.

The burial, which happened on Wednesday at his Naserian home in Kajiado East constituency, comes a week after his body was flown back to the country.

Tompoi was part of Kenyan police officers working as part of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti.

The officer succumbed to gun wounds after he was shot by suspected gang members while on patrol combating violent gangs on February 23, 2025.

Among the leaders present were Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Democratic Action Party (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa, alongside security officials and other dignitaries.

Musyoka hailed Tompoi as an exceptional officer, emphasizing that his selection for the mission was a testament to his professionalism and dedication to service.

On his part, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa echoed these sentiments, mourning Tompoi’s passing as a significant setback to the peacekeeping efforts in Haiti.

“We are here to express our sympathies. It is a sad day for the entire country, as he was the first Kenyan police officer to die in Haiti during the Haiti mission,” Wamalwa said.

He also raised concerns about the pace of the mission’s implementation, pointing out policy disparities between the administrations of former U.S. President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden.

“As the opposition, we have raised concerns about the Haiti mission. Samuel has done his part; some concerns need to be addressed," he said.

Deputy Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli on his part described his death as a blow to the police taskforce while expressing solidarity with those who were mourning him.

“I register my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and relatives of Samuel Tompoi. The officers from the National Police Service assembled here this afternoon are representatives of the large police family deployed across the country and abroad who share grief and sorrow of one of their own,” stated Masengeli.