In Nairobi on Thursday, relatives of Kenyan men believed to be fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine begged their government to act, saying their relatives were tricked into fighting a foreign war. “Bring our sons home,” a mother said, “They were promised work. They weren’t told they were going to be sent to war.” The demonstrators held pictures of their sons outside the capital’s government buildings. Some parents cried as they spoke of being incapable of reaching their relatives for months.
It came after a briefing by Kenya’s National Intelligence Service to parliament indicated that up to 1,000 Kenyans may have been recruited to fight for Russia against Ukraine. Parliament was told that those recruits had arrived in Russia on tourist visas before being diverted to army training and deployment to the front lines.
The relatives said the young men left their country after they were promised jobs as security personnel or construction workers in foreign countries. Instead, they allegedly ended up being recruited into Russia’s army, and several of them were reported to have died, been injured, or gone missing. “We talk to them once in a while when they get networked,” one father said, who said his 26-year-old son is near the front lines. “He said that this is not what they were promised; they are saying that it is very bad”.
The Russian Embassy in Nairobi has maintained that it has no part in facilitating illegal recruitment, asserting that any foreigners serving in the Russian army did so voluntarily under Russian legislation. Kenyan authorities say they are investigating local agents believed to be orchestrating the recruitment pipeline for the conflict. “They target young men who have dropped out of school, those looking for greener pastures,” warned a human rights defender, explaining the incentives. “There is a network of local recruitment agents here.” Community leaders have been calling for greater regulation of recruitment firms operating abroad and stronger protections for citizens seeking employment opportunities outside the country. “We do not care about politics,” another relative said as they continued their vigil, “We just want our children back.”