Kenneth Glad
They left home believing they had secured steady jobs abroad. Months later, some Kenyan families were left staring at silent phones, unsure whether their sons were alive. Now a court in Nairobi is examining how those trips were organized and who helped arrange them.
Authorities are facing new questions about Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals. A report by the investigative collective All Eyes on Wagner, cited by AFP, identified at least 1,417 Africans recruited into the Russian army between January 2023 and September 2025, with more than 300 reported killed.
Researchers said, according to the Romanian outlet, that the effort has spread across several African countries over the past two years, drawing in men from places grappling with high youth unemployment and limited economic prospects. The group said releasing names could help families trace relatives who vanished after traveling abroad.
Kenyan officials say that more than 1,000 of their citizens went to Russia and were later linked to the war in Ukraine, with some believed to remain in combat areas while others are recovering from injuries or remain missing, and at least one death has been formally confirmed.
Earlier this year, relatives gathered outside government offices in Nairobi, some holding photographs of missing family members and calling on authorities to act.
Court case unfolds
Amid that pressure, prosecutors charged Festus Omwamba, who was detained in Moyale near the Ethiopian border. France24 reports that he is accused of trafficking 25 Kenyans to Russia last year and appeared before an anti-terror court in the capital.
Court filings cited by AP say investigators believe he coordinated tourist visa applications and flight bookings. Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said the suspect left his usual residence after returning from Russia.
Several of the men later told AP they had responded to offers of civilian work. Once in Russia, they said, their passports were taken and they were quickly directed into military structures.
John Kamau, who sought refuge at Kenya’s embassy in Moscow before being repatriated, said he met Omwamba at a Nairobi house where prospective travelers were waiting.
The arrest does not answer everything, and investigators are still trying to determine whether others were involved.
Diplomatic tensions
Russia’s embassy in Nairobi has denied official involvement. In a statement, it said it did not issue visas to individuals intending to fight in Ukraine, adding: “The Russian Federation does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the armed forces.”
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said he plans to travel to Moscow in what he described as a “diplomatic approach to rein in any dubious entities that are taking advantage of anyone in this misadventure”.
He also referred to efforts to secure the return of Kenyans detained in Ukraine or still in Russia. “You recall that even at the highest level, the president made an appeal that if indeed there are Kenyans who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law, the appeal was made to the Ukrainian government to look at how they can be processed and brought back,” Mudavadi said.
Officials say inquiries are ongoing.
Sources: France24, Associated Press (AP), Digi24
