Kimani Ichung’wah, Kenya’s National Assembly Majority Leader, has revealed what he described as a disturbing and deeply entrenched network of rogue government officials allegedly colluding with human trafficking syndicates to recruit and facilitate the movement of Kenyans to fight in the war between Russia and Ukraine, reported Citizen Digital, a local media outlet.
The revelations follow a rise in citizens’ complaints about relatives who were allegedly lured to Russia with promises of lucrative employment opportunities, only to be forcefully enlisted into the military. Several media reports have recently raised alarm over alleged recruitment drives targeting Kenyans seeking job opportunities abroad. Some claim they were deployed to fight in Ukraine without their full knowledge or consent.
Addressing the National Assembly, Ichung’wah said a joint investigation conducted by the East African country’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had uncovered collusion involving officers in immigration, security agencies, and even diplomatic missions, according to Citizen Digital. “There has been collusion between officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Directorate of Immigration Services, and the National Employment Authority,” Ichung’wah was quoted as saying, warning that no official implicated in the alleged scheme would be spared from accountability. Ichung’wah told Parliament that more than 1,000 Kenyans have already been recruited and trafficked to Russia to fight in the conflict, many reportedly enticed by promises of lucrative salaries, long-term contracts, and the prospect of acquiring foreign citizenship.
Meanwhile, on February 19, Russia’s embassy in Kenya released a statement denying any involvement in the alleged forced recruitment for the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The diplomatic mission described the accusations as part of a misleading propaganda campaign. “The Embassy of the Russian Federation has noted with great concern that a dangerous and misleading propaganda campaign has been unfolding in the Kenyan media and public space around cases of Kenyans who travelled to the Russian Federation, joined the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and saw combat in the conflict in Ukraine,” the statement read.
However, the Kremlin’s representative in Kenya acknowledged that the Kenyan and Russian governments have discussed the issue at official levels.
The embassy added in its press release that “the campaign has culminated in direct accusations against the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nairobi and its staff of involvement in rogue schemes of recruitment of Kenyans to become combatants in the conflict in Ukraine. ” MP Ichung’wah further stated that the ministries concerned with recruitment processes must be able to identify the specific officers allegedly involved and hold them accountable. “Government offices are not to be used for criminal activities,” he emphasized during the parliamentary session.
According to Citizen Digital, the Kikuyu Constituency Member of Parliament also demanded greater accountability within Kenya’s foreign missions, singling out the country’s embassy in Moscow for closer scrutiny. Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister and Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, is expected to travel to Russia in March to discuss the alleged forced recruitment matter with his Russian counterpart and seek clarification on the status of affected Kenyan nationals.
The Kenyan MP was further quoted as saying: “Our ambassador in Moscow must be able to identify the officers within the embassy who may have colluded with these criminals. Our embassy must be beyond reproach. It must be the place where Kenyans can seek refuge, not exploitation.
” According to findings from the report presented in Parliament, recruiters allegedly targeted former military officers, police officers, and unemployed civilians, offering monthly salaries of up to Ksh 350,000 (USD 2,800) and bonuses of up to Ksh 1. 2 million (USD 9,300), figures that far exceed average local earnings and therefore appear highly attractive to job seekers. Many recruits, however, are said to have ended up on the front lines after receiving minimal military training.
Some parents have publicly appealed to the Kenyan government to intervene, help trace their children’s whereabouts, and facilitate their safe return home.
According to the investigation by Kenya’s security agencies, the toll among those already deployed is significant: 39 Kenyans are reportedly hospitalized, 30 have been repatriated, 28 are missing in action, 89 remain on the front line, one has been detained, and another has completed his contract as of February 2026.
