Kenya’s parliament received an intelligence report claiming that over 1,000 Kenyans have enlisted in the Russian army in Ukraine, with the majority having been duped into signing contracts. Russia has lured men from African nations with promises of high-paying professions, only to coerce them into fighting on the front lines in Ukraine, according to many media investigations, including one by AFP earlier this month.
A combined investigation by Kenya’s National Intelligence Service and Directorate of Criminal Investigations, which was presented in parliament on Tuesday, found that there were “over 1,000” recruiters from the nation, which is significantly more than the 200 or so that officials had stated in December.
“The Kenyans leave the country on tourist visas to join the Russian army through Istanbul, Turkey, as well as Abu Dhabi, UAE,” parliament majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah said to the Members of Parliament.
However, Ichung’wah claimed that because of tighter border controls at Nairobi’s airport, recruits were now fleeing to neighbouring African nations in order to evade discovery.
Unlicensed employment firms in Kenya, he claimed, were “colluding with rogue airport staff.”
According to Ichung’wah, there are currently 89 Kenyans on the front lines, 28 missing in action, and at least 39 hospitalised.
Next month, Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi is scheduled to travel to Moscow to address the matter; the government has denounced the use of its citizens “as cannon fodder”.
Other African nations that have been singled out for recruiting, as Russia suffers significant losses in Ukraine, include South Africa and Uganda.