Over 1,000 Kenyans enlisted to fight in Russia-Ukraine war
At least one Kenyan has been confirmed dead, while 39 others have returned home injured. Another 28 are reportedly missing.
Mogadishu (Somali Report) - Kenya’s parliament has been presented with a shocking intelligence report revealing that as many as 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, according to reporting by the BBC.
The report, submitted by Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), states that 89 Kenyans were actively fighting on the front lines as of February this year.
At least one Kenyan has been confirmed dead, while 39 others have returned home injured. Another 28 are reportedly missing.
According to the BBC, an additional 35 recruits have been sent to military camps inside Russia.
Presenting the findings to lawmakers, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah described the revelations as “deeply disturbing.”
He alleged the existence of a network of rogue Kenyan officials colluding with human trafficking syndicates to facilitate the recruitment and transportation of young men to Russia.
The intelligence report details how certain recruitment agencies allegedly worked alongside rogue airport staff, immigration officers, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) personnel, anti-narcotics officers, and officials at the National Employment Authority to process travel documents and enable departures.
Free Newsletter · Every Week
Sign up to the Somali Report
Get independent reporting on Somalia, the Horn, and the diaspora — delivered to your inbox every Monday.
Ichung’wah further claimed that staff at the Russian embassy in Nairobi and Kenya’s embassy in Moscow may have assisted recruits in obtaining visas.
However, the Russian embassy in Nairobi dismissed the allegations, calling them “dangerous and misleading.”
In a statement cited by the BBC, the embassy insisted it has never issued visas to Kenyan citizens intending to participate in what Russia calls its “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine, nor has it encouraged any such enlistment.
The recruits, many of them ex-military, former police officers, or unemployed youth aged between 20 and 50, were reportedly promised monthly salaries of up to KSh 350,000, with large signing bonuses.
Instead, according to the report, many received minimal training — sometimes as little as nine days — before being deployed to active combat zones.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, as reported by the BBC, said the government has shut down more than 600 rogue recruitment agencies and repatriated 27 Kenyans so far.
He added that Nairobi is engaging Moscow to curb illegal recruitment and revise visa arrangements.
As investigations continue and more arrests are expected, mounting pressure is building on the Kenyan government to rescue its citizens and dismantle what lawmakers have described as a criminal pipeline sending young Kenyans into a brutal foreign war.
About the Author
Osman Hassan is a Senior Editor at the Somali Report based in Nairobi with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He has worked with local and international media outlets in Somalia and is an award-winning journalist. His reporting focuses on politics, security, and regional affairs in the Horn of Africa.