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Russia Recruits Over 1,000 Kenyans for Ukraine War, Using Tourist Visas and Salary Promises
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Russia has enlisted over a thousand Kenyan citizens to participate in the war against Ukraine, using tourist visas and promises of high salaries as part of the recruitment process, according to Le Monde on February 19.
“Currently, more than 1000 Kenyans have been recruited and sent to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war,” stated Kimani Ichung'wa, a member of the Kenyan parliament, citing a joint report from intelligence agencies and the Criminal Investigations Department.
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This number is much higher than the 200 Kenyans previously mentioned by the Kenyan government.
According to Ichung'wa, the new recruits leave Kenya on tourist visas to join the Russian military via Istanbul and Abu Dhabi.
Kenyans working abroad are also traveling to Russia from their countries of residence.
The MP also revealed that many of these recruits signed military contracts, with promises of a monthly salary between 920 and 2400 euros in Russia, facilitated by a recruitment agency based in Nairobi.
As of February this year, 28 recruits have disappeared, 35 are in camps or military bases, 89 are at the front lines, and 39 have been hospitalized. Additionally, 30 Kenyans have been repatriated.
Recruitment agencies are collaborating with corrupt officials at Nairobi airport, as well as national employment services and staff from both the Russian Embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow.
In response to the ongoing recruitment, Kenya's foreign minister, Musalia Mudavadi, stated his intention to travel to Moscow in an effort to stop the continued enlistment of Kenyan citizens in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
“We have seen loss of lives, and I am planning to make a visit to Moscow so that we can emphasize that this is something that needs to be arrested,” Mudavadi told reporters, as reported by The Moscow Times on February 10. He did not specify when the trip would take place, and Russian officials have yet to comment publicly on the matter.
At the same time, Russia is increasing its economic ties with Kenya, which Ukrainian officials view as part of Moscow's strategy to extend its political influence in East Africa. According to a statement from Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, these strengthened relations are also being used as a cover for recruiting African nationals to fight in the war against Ukraine.
Russia has started aligning its trade and infrastructure projects with Kenya's national development goals, including new commercial agreements, logistics corridors, and investment initiatives that could provide Russian companies access to East African ports and markets.
Earlier, the bodies of two additional Kenyan nationals, who had been recruited by Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine, were discovered near the city of Lyman in Ukraine's Donetsk region.
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