More than 1,000 Kenyans have been lured to fight for Russia in its war with Ukraine, according to an intelligence report to Kenya’s parliament, highlighting the scale of a Russian operation taking African men to the frontline.
The Majority Leader of Kenya’s National Assembly, Kimani Ichungwa, said that “rogue recruitment agencies and individuals in Kenya” continue to send Kenyan nationals to fight in the conflict as he read to MPs a summary of an investigation by Kenya’s National Intelligence Service.
The number of more than 1,000 people was a significant increase on the figure given by Kenya’s foreign ministry in a statement in November, which said more than 200 Kenyans had traveled to fight in the war.
A growing number of people from African countries – including Kenya, Uganda and South Africa – and elsewhere have been drawn to the frontline as Russia seeks manpower to continue its offensive. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said in November that more than 1,400 people from 36 African countries were fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Many were Ukrainian prisoners of war.
According to the intelligence report, Ichung’wah said “rogue” employment agencies targeted ex-military personnel and police officers and civilians between the ages of 20 and 50 who were “desperate for job opportunities abroad”.
Employment agencies are luring Kenyans with monthly salaries of between 350,000 shillings (£2,000), bonuses of between 900,000 shillings and 1.2 million shillings and the promise of “eventual” Russian citizenship, the report said.
Ichungwah said the employment agencies colluded with “rogue” staff from several government agencies to prevent disruptions at the Nairobi International Airport – the Directorate of Immigration Services, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and its Anti-Narcotics Unit and the National Employment Authority – Nairobi International Airport.
However, due to increased recruitment at the airport, they now travel through Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa, the report said.
As of February, 39 Kenyans were hospitalized, 30 were repatriated, 28 were missing, 35 were in military camps or bases, 89 were on the frontline, one was detained and one had completed their contract, the report said.
Kenya’s foreign minister, Musalia Mudavadi, is expected to visit Russia next month to discuss the “unacceptable and clandestine” recruitment of Kenyan nationals.
On Wednesday, four South Africans returned to South Africa from Russia. They were part of a group of 17 South African and two Botswana men who were tricked into fighting for Russia by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma.
South Africa’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, told national broadcaster SABC: “It’s been a challenging process. It remains a challenge for those who are still on the frontline because they were allegedly lured by a private security contractor to the Russian government. So it really complicates the situation because they were not directly recruited to the Russian government.”
