Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi has travelled to Moscow to press Russian authorities to end the covert recruitment of Kenyan citizens into Russia’s forces fighting in Ukraine. Nairobi says many nationals were misled into believing they had been hired for lucrative civilian jobs, only to be pressed into combat after arrival.
Mudavadi’s mission focuses on identifying Kenyans believed to have been lured to Russia and arranging their safe return. Kenyan intelligence estimates more than 1,000 nationals have been recruited under false pretences and forced into military service, with local reporting pointing to rogue recruitment agencies and deployment to front-line duties after minimal training.
The Foreign Ministry said Mudavadi will push for “a safe process for their repatriation” and stressed the government’s obligation to protect citizens working abroad. A deputy minister accused Russia of treating Kenyans as “cannon fodder.” Russia’s embassy in Nairobi has denied involvement, calling the allegations “dangerous and misleading.”
Kenyan media have reported at least 18 nationals killed in the conflict and roughly 30 missing. While Mudavadi is expected to seek easier access to Russia’s civilian job market for Kenyans and to meet several Russian officials — including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — a meeting with President Vladimir Putin is not planned. He is also scheduled to give a public lecture at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). Earlier this month protesters gathered outside Kenya’s parliament to denounce the recruitment methods.
The visit follows similar concerns across Africa. South Africa recently secured the repatriation of 15 citizens who said they had been trapped in eastern Donbas after being lured into fighting for Russia. Kyiv and international media estimate Russia has recruited between about 18,000 and 24,000 foreign nationals for its campaign. While some join through official channels, many recruits from Africa, South Asia and the Middle East appear to have been deceived and then coerced into military contracts.
Separately, reports say roughly 10,000 North Korean troops have been operating alongside Russian forces since late 2024 under a mutual pact, often wearing Russian uniforms and serving under Russian command — a deployment that has attracted international condemnation.