The government of Kenya has said it will engage with Russia regarding reports that its citizens are being recruited to Russian

The government of Kenya has said it will engage with Russia regarding reports that its citizens are being recruited to fight alongside Russian forces in the war in Ukraine, calling such actions unacceptable.

Increasing pressure is being placed on the Kenyan government to take action after more bodies of citizens who had registered to fight for Russian forces were discovered.

Officials stated that 8 civilians who traveled to Russia have died or are missing, but others continue to register in order to travel there.

Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, said they are working with relevant authorities to curb illegal methods of registering job seekers, and that they will discuss with Russia the processes for visas and labor agreements between the two countries.

Mudavadi explained that a proper labor agreement between Kenya and Russia will “define the appropriate areas for employment” to ensure transparency, adding that “Kenyans cannot be recruited or forced to join the Russian military.”

“As Kenya, we want to make it clear that we do not want our people to be enrolled in military jobs of that nature,” Musalia said in an interview with the BBC.

Kenyan officials said that so far 27 Kenyans who had fought for Russia have been returned to the country. On Friday, the bodies of two Kenyan citizens who had registered to fight for Russian forces were found in eastern Ukraine.

Source: Ukraine Defense Intelligence
The military intelligence agency of Ukraine reported that the bodies were found near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region. The discovery came a week after another Kenyan, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, 29, was killed, with his body found in a Russian-controlled area of Donetsk following a targeted explosion.

Kenya’s Mudavadi said the government has closed more than 600 agencies after allegations they had lured Kenyans with overseas job promises, denying reports that the government failed to support the victims’ families.

The Kenyan government estimates that nearly 200 Kenyans have been recruited to fight in Russia’s war, though the exact number is unknown. The government emphasizes that no one has gone through official employment channels.

There are concerns that high unemployment in the country is pushing young people to seek dangerous overseas jobs, regardless of the risks.