Russia agrees to stop recruiting Kenyans in the military amid war against Ukraine

 Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a past interview.[File, Standard]

Kenya and Russia have agreed to stop enlisting Kenyans into the Russian military, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said on Monday after talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

The agreement comes weeks after a joint National Intelligence Service (NIS) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) report, presented to parliament in February, put the number of Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine at over 1,000, far higher than the figure of around 200 given by authorities in December.

The report found that most of the Kenyans were misled with false promises of skilled jobs in Russia before being sent to the front lines.

They left the country on tourist visas, transiting through Istanbul, Turkey and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah told lawmakers the recruits were given as little as nine days of military preparation before deployment.

"They are basically given a gun and sent to die," said Ichung'wah.

According to the intelligence report, 89 Kenyans remain on the frontline, 39 have been hospitalised and 28 are missing in action.

A Kenyan man, Festus Omwamba, has since been charged with human trafficking for allegedly sending 22 Kenyan youths to Russia by deception.

Lavrov maintained that Kenyan citizens had volunteered, saying Russia does not recruit but responds to requests from individuals who join willingly and with full knowledge of the mission, a position that directly contradicts the NIS and DCI findings.

The Russian Embassy in Nairobi has denied the allegations, saying it never issued visas to anyone intending to travel to Russia to fight in Ukraine.

Mudavadi said the Kenyan mission in Moscow would provide consular services to nationals requiring assistance, though he made no mention of compensation for families of those killed or injured, nor did he indicate whether repatriation of those already deployed was on the table.

"We do not want our relationship to be defined through the lens of the special operation," said Mudavadi, using Russia's term for its war in Ukraine.

Russia established diplomatic relations with Kenya on December 14, 1963, and has maintained ties with the country since independence.

The Soviet Union was the second country to recognise Kenya's sovereignty and independence.

Mudavadi framed the enlistment row as a problem to be resolved within a broader partnership rather than a rupture.