Kenya says it has agreed with Russia to stop recruiting Kenyans to fight in the Ukraine war.
The government of Kenya has reached an agreement with Russia to stop the recruitment of Kenyan citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine, following growing concern over the scale of enlistment.
The decision was announced after Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, met with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.
Mudavadi said both countries agreed that Kenyans would no longer be eligible to enlist through Russia’s Ministry of Defence.
“His excellency has conversed with us on the issue of the welfare of Kenyans who are in Russia and more specifically those who are involved in the special operation,” Mudavadi said at a joint news briefing with Lavrov.
“And I want to make it clear that we have now agreed that Kenyans shall not be enlisted through the (Russian) Ministry of Defence – they will no longer be eligible to be enlisted,” he said. “There will no further enlisting.”
The move follows mounting domestic pressure in Kenya, with families raising concerns about citizens being recruited to fight in what the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
According to Kenyan authorities, more than 1,000 citizens have been recruited, lured by offers of monthly salaries running into thousands of dollars and bonuses exceeding $6,000. The figure is significantly higher than earlier estimates and has triggered alarm among lawmakers and the public.
A Kenyan intelligence report presented to parliament in February suggested the scale of recruitment could be five times higher than previously believed. Some politicians have alleged the involvement of rogue officials working with human trafficking networks to facilitate the enlistment.
Mudavadi said Kenya is also working to support those who have already travelled to Russia, noting that consular services would be provided through proper diplomatic channels for citizens requiring assistance.
For its part, Russia maintained that foreign recruits, including Kenyans, had voluntarily signed contracts to serve alongside its military forces.
The issue comes amid broader concerns about foreign fighters in the conflict. Ukrainian authorities have previously claimed that more than 1,700 Africans are fighting on Russia’s side, although the exact number remains unclear.
Despite the tensions, Mudavadi emphasised that Kenya’s relationship with Russia extends beyond the conflict in Ukraine, pointing to opportunities for cooperation in energy, agriculture, and tourism.
“We do not want for any reason our partnership with Russia to be defined from the lenses of the special operation (in Ukraine) agenda only,” he said. “The relationship between Kenya and Russia is much more broad than that.”
The agreement marks a significant diplomatic step as Kenya seeks to curb the flow of its citizens into a foreign conflict while maintaining strategic ties with Moscow.