Kenya demands answers from Russia over recruitment of citizens to fight in Ukraine war

Kenya volition property Russia for answers aft reports emerged that its citizens are being recruited to combat successful Ukraine, the country’s overseas curate said.

Musalia Mudavadi told the BBC successful an interrogation connected Tuesday that the recruitment was "unacceptable and clandestine."

He said the authorities has unopen down amerciable recruiters and would impulse Moscow to motion an statement barring the conscription of Kenyan citizens. 

Nairobi estimates that astir 200 nationals person been recruited to combat for Russia, and Mudavadi explained that families person struggled to retrieve the bodies of loved ones killed successful the conflict.

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Musalia Mudavadi speaks aft signing a bilateral statement supporting Kenyan constabulary officers deployed to the Multinational Security Support Mission successful Haiti successful Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, connected May 12, 2025. (Erika Santelices/Reuters)

"It is hard because, remember, it depends connected wherever the assemblage has been found," the overseas curate told the BBC. "There immoderate person been recovered successful Ukraine - we are besides moving with the authorities of Ukraine to effort and get the remains of those radical repatriated."

In a November station connected X, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv estimates that astatine slightest 1,436 overseas nationals from 36 African countries person been recruited to combat for Russia successful its warfare against Ukraine, informing the existent fig whitethorn beryllium higher.

Sybiha said Russia uses a scope of tactics to enlistee foreigners, including fiscal incentives, deception and coercion.

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Susan Khandasi Kuloba, whose lad David Kuloba died portion warring for Russia successful Ukraine, poses with portraits of him during an interrogation astatine her location successful Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, connected Dec. 2, 2025. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

"Signing a declaration is equivalent to signing a decease sentence," helium wrote. "Foreign citizens successful the Russian service person a bittersweet fate. Most of them are instantly sent to the alleged ‘meat assaults,’ wherever they are rapidly killed."

Mudavadi said successful December that the authorities had received aggregate emails and urgent communications from Kenyans successful distress astatine subject camps successful Russia.

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Evans Khagola, relative of Oscar Khagola, holds a printed photograph sent by Oscar to his begetter showing him and different soldiers erstwhile they started grooming successful Russia, photographed successful Nairobi, Kenya, connected Jan. 21, 2026. (Ed Ram/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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"Several of them person reported injuries among our nationals and others stranded, pursuing attempted recruitment into the convulsive conflicts," helium told the Kenya News Agency, the country’s state-run quality service.

Mudavadi said the authorities has since tightened recruitment regulations, deregistering much than 600 non-compliant agencies and strengthening occupation verification done the Diaspora Placement Agency to curb exploitation.