Kenyan official attending Haiti talks in Washington found dead in his hotel room
A member of a Kenyan delegation visiting Washington was found dead in his hotel room earlier this week, U.S. officials and law enforcement confirmed on Thursday.
The official was a senior police officer who had traveled to the United States to attend talks with U.S., U.N. and Haitian officials at Fort McNair on plans for a multinational force deployment to Haiti, a National Security Council official said.
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department told McClatchy that the official, identified as 39-year-old Nyamato Walter, was found dead in his hotel room on Tuesday at approximately 9:05 a.m. at a hotel in Thomas Circle, in the center of the city.
“Officers responded to the unit block of Thomas Circle NW for the report of an unconscious man inside of a hotel room. Upon arrival, the man was pronounced deceased,” the police department said.
The police department’s Natural Squad, which investigates deaths suspected of being from natural causes or suicides, “is handling this death investigation,” the department said.
The national security official said it is “deeply saddening, tragic news of the passing of a Kenyan delegation member here in D.C.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” the official said. “Our team is working with the Kenyan Embassy to provide support in every way possible.”
Nairobi has volunteered to lead the multinational force to Haiti with a deployment of over 1,000 Kenyan police. The timing of the mission has not been determined, with funding for the force still up in the air, and with Kenya’s Supreme Court still reviewing the legality of the deployment.
Kenyan media identified Walter as commissioner of the police.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 12:00 PM.
