(NAIROBI) – Kenya has accused Russia of recruiting its citizens to fight in the war against Ukraine, prompting diplomatic engagement with Moscow, according to Ukrainian officials and Kenyan authorities.
The allegation was reported by Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, which said Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, had announced plans to visit Moscow to demand an end to the practice.
Kenyan officials said the recruitment of their nationals for military service in the conflict had increased in recent months. They expressed concern that citizens were being misled with promises of legal and well paid employment.
According to Ukrainian authorities, many recruits from African countries have little or no military experience and are offered contracts under false pretences, including claims of civilian work in retail, security, or sport.
The Centre for Countering Disinformation said that, after signing contracts, recruits were often deployed to some of the most dangerous sections of the front line.
It cited testimonies from four Kenyan nationals who had recently returned home wounded. One said he had expected to work as a salesman, two believed they had been hired as security guards, and another said he had been recruited as a professional athlete.
Ukrainian officials said that more than 30 Kenyans had been evacuated from Russia in the past two months.
They added that the recruitment of foreigners was being used by the Kremlin to offset heavy losses and to reduce domestic political pressure within the Russian Federation.
The Centre said the practice contradicted Russia’s public messaging in Africa, where it portrays itself as a partner opposed to Western influence, while allegedly exploiting foreign nationals for military purposes.
Last week, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence reported that three Kenyan mercenaries had been killed near Lyman, in eastern Donetsk region, after being deployed by Russian forces.
In a separate statement, Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the death of Clinton Nyapara Mogesu, a Kenyan national born in 1997, who had previously worked in Qatar before signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence.
Officials said he had received minimal training before being sent into an assault unit and was killed during combat. They added that his body was not recovered and that his family had received no official explanation or compensation.
Ukrainian intelligence officers said documents found on his body included passports belonging to other Kenyan nationals, suggesting continued recruitment of foreign fighters.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine urged foreign citizens to avoid travelling to Russia for employment, warning that they risk deception and exposure to frontline combat.
It said that, in the Russian military system, foreign recruits were often treated as expendable and deployed without adequate preparation.
