Rebuilding Trust Through Compassionate Communication

 

By Ezekiel Mwabili

Trust in public institutions is like a fragile thread; once broken, it takes years to mend. When President William Ruto announced at the UN General Assembly that Benedict Kabiru, a Kenyan police officer missing in Haiti for six months, had died, that thread was tested. The nation heard the news before Kabiru’s family had been properly informed. What should have been a solemn moment of honour instead became a painful lesson in how easily communication can wound.

Kabiru vanished on 25 March 2025 after gangs ambushed a convoy in Haiti’s Artibonite region. For months, the National Police Service spoke of ongoing search efforts, while the Attorney General’s office insisted in court that no confirmation had been received. Then came the President’s words in New York, carried instantly across the globe, leaving the family blindsided. It was not just a misstep in timing; it was a fracture in empathy, a reminder that even in a digital age of instant communication, humanity must come first.

History has shown us that how we tell stories of tragedy often matters as much as the events themselves. During Westgate and Garissa, confusion in official communication deepened grief. Other nations treat such moments as sacred. In the US and UK, trained officers, often accompanied by chaplains, inform families in person before any public announcement. The message is clear: dignity before disclosure.

This is where Kenya must learn. Communication is not merely the transfer of facts; it is the weaving of narratives that either strengthen or weaken the bonds between citizens and their state. To inform the nation before informing a family is to place optics above humanity. To contradict one another in public, as the Presidency, NPS, and Attorney General’s office did, is to frame institutions as fragmented and careless.

Yet from failure comes opportunity. Kabiru’s death should push us to adopt clear casualty notification protocols, to train our leaders in empathetic communication, and to embed compassion at the heart of statecraft. If we do so, his story will not just be one of loss, but of renewal. For in honouring the dignity of one family, we reaffirm the trust of an entire nation.


Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this article are solely for scholarly reflection and the advancement of professional practice in Public Relations and Strategic Communication. The writer holds no political bias or partisan interest and seeks only to contribute to constructive dialogue and learning in the field.

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