Kenya, Russia strike deal to stop recruitment of fighters in war

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi before talks in Moscow on March 16, 2026. [AFP] Kenyans will no longer be enlisted in Russia's Special Military Operation going forward. The agreement to halt the enlistment was reached on Thursday during talks in Moscow between Kenya's visiting Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The meeting came amid mounting pressure back home for Mudavadi to broker the repatriation of Kenyans believed to be fighting on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war. Addressing the concerns of distraught families, the PCS committed that Kenya's diplomatic mission would assist those seeking to return. "Our Kenyan mission in Russia will assist with consular services for Kenyans who will require facilitation, including those in hospitals, all through proper diplomatic channels as laid down by the law." He, however cautioned against the issue creating a wedge between Nairobi and Moscow. "Our focus is to make resolutions diplomatically. We do not want our relationship to be defined from the lenses of this special operation," he reiterated. Lavrov indicated that the agreement would be strictly adhered to by Russia. "We understand these concerns about Kenyans' participation in this mission and where they are coming from. Kenyan citizens, like citizens of other countries, take part in the operation in full accord with Russian legislation, which provides for options of termination," he stated. Many of the Kenyans believed to have joined the Russian military are said to have travelled to Russia initially on student or work visas before later signing private military contracts. Recruitment networks operating online and through informal agents are also suspected to have played a key role. But even with the agreement on paper, both countries carefully sidestepped the vexing question of compensation for Kenyans injured or killed in the operation, instead insisting that such matters would be pegged on individual contracts signed beforehand. The agreement comes at a time when scores of distraught families in Kenya are petitioning the government for the repatriation of their loved ones still in the warzone, as well as the bodies of those reported killed on the frontlines. Some families have been anxiously seeking answers about the fate of their loved ones, with some claiming they have lost contact for months. A number of relatives have petitioned the government to intervene, saying they were unaware their kin had travelled to join a foreign military operation until news of casualties began to emerge. In fact, some families have had to conduct mock burials for their kin as a way to find closure for those killed on the frontlines. Kenya's diplomatic mission in Russia says 252 Kenyans were enlisted by the Russian army, contrary to intelligence reports suggesting the number could be as high as 1,000. Under Russian law, individuals who voluntarily enlist in the military are bound by the terms of their service agreements, making immediate extraction or repatriation difficult, unless the contracts lapse or are terminated. "Those enlisted as ex-military and security officials will complete their one-year contracts before they can cease duties," a Kenyan Foreign Affairs official said. Kenya is not the only country grappling with the issue as several African and Asian countries have reportedly joined Russia's forces.

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