Families Protest Over Kenyans Recruited into Russian Army

Families of at least 35 Kenyans recruited into the Russian military staged a protest in Nairobi on Thursday, urging the government to intervene and secure the return of their loved ones.

Their demonstration followed an intelligence report submitted to Kenya’s parliament on Wednesday, indicating that more than 1,000 Kenyans had travelled to fight for Russia, a figure far higher than the roughly 200 previously cited by authorities in December.

The report was compiled by the National Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

Recent media investigations have detailed how Russian-linked recruiters allegedly promised African men well-paying civilian jobs, only for many to end up deployed to the front lines in Ukraine. 

While some recruits are said to be former soldiers who willingly joined as mercenaries, others appear to have been misled by recruitment agencies operating in collaboration with Russian officials.

At the protest, families held up photographs of their missing relatives, calling for urgent action. Winnie Rose Wambui said her brother, Samuel Maina, had travelled to Russia, believing he had secured a job as a mall security guard.

She explained that the family last heard from him on October 31, when he sent a distress voice message from what appeared to be a forested area, asking for prayers. Since then, there has been no contact. 

“We hope to get any information about my brother, dead or alive or injured. At least we can bring closure to this.” 

Wambui expressed frustration, saying authorities had offered little assistance and advised families to direct inquiries to the Kenyan embassy in Moscow.

In response to the allegations, the Russian embassy dismissed the claims in a post on X (formerly Twitter), describing them as misleading and part of a propaganda effort.

Addressing lawmakers, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah said the investigation found that recruitment agencies were targeting former military and police officers as well as civilians seeking employment abroad. 

He alleged that some agencies were working with corrupt airport and immigration officials and that recruits were increasingly departing from other African countries to avoid detection.

Ichung’wah told parliament that at least 39 Kenyans were hospitalised, 28 were missing in action and 89 were actively fighting on the front line.

Peter Kamau, who is coordinating the families’ efforts and whose brother Gerald Gitau is among the missing, said they plan to submit petitions next week to the foreign ministry and the Russian embassy.

He lamented that joblessness in Kenya was being exploited by what he described as dishonest agents and called on the government to take steps to bring the recruits home, noting that families themselves could not travel to Russia.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi is expected to visit Moscow next month to address the matter. The government has previously condemned the use of Kenyan citizens as expendable fighters.

Uganda and South Africa are among other African countries reportedly affected by similar recruitment drives, as Russia continues to face significant casualties in the war in Ukraine.