Kenya has revealed that more than 200 of its citizens are fighting for Russia in the ongoing war against Ukraine, with authorities warning that recruitment networks targeting Africans remain active both in Kenya and abroad. Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi confirmed that the group includes former members of Kenya’s security forces and that some recruits were coerced into dangerous tasks such as assembling drones and handling chemicals without training or protective gear.
The revelation comes days after President William Ruto appealed to the Ukrainian government to help secure the release of Kenyans trapped in the conflict zone. Ukraine recently reported that about 1,400 Africans are currently fighting alongside Russian forces, many of them lured through deception and false promises.
Among the Kenyan recruits is a young athlete captured in Ukraine in September, who said he was tricked into joining the Russian army. Similar accounts from rescued Kenyans describe harsh conditions, exploitation and unpaid labour.
Mudavadi said Kenya’s embassy in Moscow has documented injuries among the recruits, who were allegedly offered up to $18,000 to cover travel, visas and accommodation. He warned that the rising number of Kenyans drawn into foreign conflicts and “forced criminality” — including human trafficking, drug smuggling and forced labour — poses a serious national and global security threat.
Authorities in Kenya have already intercepted recruitment operations. More than 20 Kenyans were rescued near Nairobi in September before they could travel to join the war, and one suspected recruiter has been arrested and is facing prosecution.
The trend is part of a wider pattern across Africa. South Africa has launched an inquiry into how 17 of its citizens ended up in the Ukrainian region of Donbas. Ukrainian officials meanwhile say nationals from Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba, Sri Lanka and others are being held in prisoner-of-war camps.
Although Russia has been accused of aggressively expanding recruitment networks across Africa, Ukraine has also faced criticism for previous attempts to enlist foreign nationals, including Africans to fight on its side.
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