No pay or pardon for Kenyans in Russia war

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

It is a big blow to Kenyans who were enlisted to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine and their families, as the government announces that they will not be compensated.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said their enlistment was not approved by the State and that it does not recognise the contracts. 

“They entered into a contract which the government of Kenya has no part in. We have no role, no part in those contractual obligations. They are purely contractual obligations between the individual and the people they were dealing with,” he said during an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday evening. 

Mudavadi, who was speaking from Moscow, said the manner in which the victims entered the contracts is inconsistent with the legal frameworks.  

“We cannot compensate those who were lured because they did not announce their departure and were not sanctioned by the government of Kenya. What we can do is only assist to bring them home,” Mudavadi said.

This is despite the families of the victims asking for compensation from the government, even as they blamed the State for dropping the ball on acting against rogue agents who fraudulently recruited Kenyans into the Russian army. 

The Kenyan law, according to the PCS, requires citizens seeking to join foreign military forces to obtain prior approval from the State.

Stop enlistment

“One of the things we have to emphasise is that these Kenyans signed contracts, but we are alive to the fact that we are here to stop the enlistment of Kenyans into the special military operations,” he said.

Similarly, the Russian government also declared that it will not compensate Kenyans fighting for them in their battle against Ukraine. 

“Those who went there do not have contracts with Russia,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

At the same time, Mudavadi hinted that some returnees could face investigations, noting that authorities are already handling cases linked to the recruitment process.

“Some Kenyans are facing possible charges or have recorded statements with investigative agencies. What has been happening is illegal. We are dealing with a breach of the law,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that there are gaps in the law that need to be fixed to avert such problems in the future. 

“There are lapses both in law and processes which we have to address as a country. We need to have tight immigration laws for those who wish to migrate,” Mudavadi said. 

So far, he said that the government has facilitated the return of 44 citizens. He assured that the State is ready to assist those who are stuck on the battlefields to return home.