Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi is in Moscow to stop the forced recruitment of Kenyans to fight against Ukraine. Over 1,000 citizens were reportedly duped by civilian job offers before being sent to the front line.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi departed for Moscow on Sunday to press Russian authorities to end the recruitment of Kenyan citizens into the Russian military for the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has roped in the nationals of dozens of foreign countries for its war effort, with many deceived into thinking they were being hired for civilian jobs.
What will Mudavadi demand in Moscow?
The priority for Mudavadi will be to locate and free Kenyans who Nairobi says were clandestinely recruited by Russia and deployed to fight in Ukraine.
Kenyan intelligence services believe more than1,000 nationals have been lured to Russia with promises of well-paid civilian work, only to be press-ganged into becoming soldiers.
Media reports tell of Kenyans being recruited by rogue agencies before being sent to the front line with limited training.
A Kenyan Foreign Ministry statement said Mudavadi would request “a safe process for their [Kenyan soldiers’] repatriation” from Russia.
The ministry said the government’s policy was “to protect Kenyans abroad, by ensuring that they work in a safe working environment and live dignified lives away from home.”
Mudavadi’s deputy has accused Russia of using Kenyans as “cannon fodder.”
Russia’s embassy in Nairobi has denied its involvement in the scheme, labeling the claims “dangerous and misleading.”
Dozens of Kenyans dead or missing
Local media reported that at least 18 Kenyans fighting in the war have been killed, while 30 others are missing.
Mudavadi will pressure for Kenyans to have easier access to the civilian Russian job market, the Foreign Ministry statement said.
The minister is due to meet several members of the Russian government, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on Monday and Tuesday.
But he is not expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mudavadi will also give a public lecture at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), local media reported.
Kenya buoyed by South African efforts
Last month, South Africa managed to secure the repatriation of 15 of its citizens who said they were trapped in the eastern Donbas region after being lured into fighting for Russia.
Russia has recruited between 18 and 24,000 foreign nationals to take part in what Putin called a “special military operation” in Ukraine, according to Kyiv and media reports.
Many join voluntarily through official channels, while significant numbers from Africa, South Asia and the Middle East have been lured via deceptive recruitment networks.
They are then coerced, tricked, or forced into signing military contracts.
Some 10,000 North Korean troops have been actively fighting alongside Russian forces since late 2024, under a mutual defense pact signed between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The troops operate under Russian command, often in Russian uniforms with concealed identities. Their presence has drawn international condemnation.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
DW News
