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Kenya’s foreign minister, Musalia Mudavadi, has revealed that 19 Kenyans have died while fighting on the Ukrainian frontline, and 32 others are missing.
During a Senate committee session on Thursday, Mudavadi said the number of Kenyans enlisted in the Russian army has risen to 291 from 250 previously.
According to Kenya’s intelligence services, the estimates are much higher, with over 1,000 Kenyans having been recruited into the Russian military after being lured by recruiters with false promises of lucrative jobs.
“More details have come forward… (of those) enlisted in the Russian special forces,” Mudavadi told the Senate, adding that 53 Kenyan recruits have so far been repatriated.
A spokesperson of Kenya’s foreign ministry told AFP that the deaths occurred on the front line. The minister added that two Kenyans are being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Mudavadi visited Russia in March 2026, where he held discussions with top diplomats to urge Moscow to stop the forced conscription of Kenyans to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Multiple investigations, including one published by AFP, have exposed how Russia has enticed men from African countries with promises of lucrative jobs, only to force them into fighting on the Ukrainian front line.
