Written By | Agencies
Charles Ojiambo Mutoka claims his son Oscar was duped into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, and was killed in August. [File AFP]
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MOSCOW
Russia has agreed to stop deploying Kenyan nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said after talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Speaking alongside Lavrov, Mudavadi said both countries had agreed that Kenyan citizens would no longer be recruited through Russia’s defence ministry.
“They will no longer be eligible to be enlisted,” Mudavadi said.
Lavrov did not directly comment on the agreement but maintained that foreign fighters currently serving with Russian forces had joined voluntarily and “in full compliance with Russian law.”
The discussions come amid growing concern in Kenya over reports that its citizens have been recruited to fight in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A Kenyan intelligence report released in February warned that more than 1,000 Kenyan nationals had been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
Some Kenyans have said they were lured with promises of well-paid civilian jobs, only to discover they were being deployed to the battlefield.
Mudavadi said the Kenyan government is also seeking the repatriation of citizens who wish to return home.
Last month, he revealed that authorities had shut down more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of deceiving Kenyans with false promises of employment abroad.
Kenyan lawmakers have also raised concerns that rogue state officials may have collaborated with human trafficking networks to recruit citizens to fight for Russia.
So far, 27 Kenyans who had been fighting in Russia have been repatriated. According to Mudavadi, the returnees are receiving psychological support and rehabilitation to address trauma and assist with their reintegration. However, the exact number of Kenyans who may have died while fighting for Russian forces remains unclear, and Russian authorities have not formally responded to such reports. Families who have sought information from the Russian embassy in Nairobi say they have struggled to obtain answers.
Public concern over the issue has been growing. In February, relatives of Kenyans believed to be fighting in Ukraine staged a protest outside parliament in Nairobi, demanding government intervention and the safe return of their family members.
During his visit to Moscow, Mudavadi is also expected to negotiate an agreement aimed at expanding employment opportunities for Kenyans in Russia.
“We do not want our partnership with Russia to be defined solely through the lens of the special operation in Ukraine,” he said. “The relationship between Kenya and Russia is much broader than that.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence estimates that more than 1,700 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia in the conflict.
In February, South Africa repatriated 17 citizens who said they had been trapped in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being deceived into joining Russian forces.
Ukraine has also faced criticism in the past for attempting to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its side in the ongoing war.
