Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi announced on Tuesday that he intends to visit Moscow to curb the recruitment of Kenyans to fight for Russia as part of the war in 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 [addressed],” Mudavadi told reporters.
He did not provide a date for the trip, aimed at “conclusively resolving the matter and identifying sustainable solutions,” and Moscow has yet to respond to the announcement.
Speaking to the BBC, Mudavadi characterized Russia’s recruitment efforts as “unacceptable and clandestine.” He added that Nairobi has already closed down illegal recruitment operations and plans to push Moscow to sign an agreement banning the enlistment of Kenyan nationals.
“Kenya and Russia have had long relations since independence, literally. So this, in my view, becomes a very unfortunate episode of otherwise very positive and cordial relations between our two countries,” he said.
Kenya estimates that roughly 200 of its citizens have been recruited to fight for Russian forces, though the exact number is unclear because none have traveled through official channels.
It remains unknown how many Kenyans have died while serving in Russian ranks, and Russia has not officially addressed this.
Mudavadi noted that over 30 Kenyans have been evacuated from Russia in the past two months, and 600 recruitment agencies that misled Kenyans with false promises of overseas employment have been shut down.
He dismissed suggestions that the government bore responsibility for the recruitment, stating: “You cannot blame the government on this. Where there are illegal recruitment agencies, we have scrapped them and we continue to scrap them.”
Mudavadi added that he would also seek the release of Kenyans held as prisoners of war in Ukraine and check on the welfare of those hospitalized.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, more than 1,400 individuals from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Kenya Yurii Tokar said in comments to AFP that Russia was “looking for people for cannon fodder everywhere it is possible,” noting that Moscow had targeted former Soviet republics in Central Asia and then India and Nepal before turning to Africa.
In a recent investigation by AFP, four Kenyans recounted the web of deception and coercion that took them to the battlefield in Ukraine.
In October, Kenya’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that citizens were still being “lured” by Kremlin recruiters into fighting in Ukraine by “corrupt and ruthless agents.”