The family of Benedict Kabiru, a Kenyan police officer who went missing in Haiti on March 25 after a gunfight between Kenyan forces and a gang, has sued the government demanding answers about his fate.

The family says they are stuck between conflicting reports from Haiti’s Transition Presidential Council, which declared Kabiru dead, and the Kenyan government, which insists the officer is missing.

In a petition filed by Gathenji & Company Advocates, the family accuses top government officials of withholding clear information and failing to give a truthful update about Kabiru’s condition.

The petition lists Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi as respondents.

“The Inspector General of Police and the CS for Interior have not clarified the contradiction and continue to deny the family of Benedict Kabiru Kuria a written and truthful position regarding their loved one,” the petition states.

The family, represented by Jacinta Wanjiku Kabiru (mother), Daniel Kabiru Ndung’u (uncle) and Philip Kamau Kuria (brother), says they wrote to police director of operations Ranson Lolmodoni, asking him to confirm whether Kabiru was alive or dead. In response, Lolmodoni dismissed reports of Kabiru’s death as fake news.

“Their subsequent attempts to get the truth about the status of Benedict Kabiru Kuria have been unsuccessful, as the respondents are dismissive and never give a straight answer,” the petition adds.

The family is now asking the court to compel the government to clearly declare whether Kabiru is dead or alive, reveal his whereabouts or the location of his body, and award damages for the mental and psychological distress they have endured.

They are also seeking to have the government bear the costs of the case.