President William Ruto says a newly appointed defense attaché will assist affected Kenyans and coordinate their return from Russia
By Midtown Times Staff
MOSCOW (Midtown Times) — Kenya is seeking compensation and the safe return of citizens recruited into Russia’s armed forces, following talks between Kenyan President William Ruto and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
Ruto announced that Kenya has appointed a defense attaché to its embassy in Moscow. The official will work with Russia’s Ministry of Defense to locate affected citizens, assist with repatriation and help families navigate compensation claims.
No details have been released about who will qualify, how much could be paid or when payments might begin. It also remains unclear whether Russia has established a formal compensation fund specifically for Kenyan recruits.
Reports of deceptive recruitment
The initiative follows growing reports that Kenyans were recruited to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, sometimes after being offered what they believed were civilian positions in security, transportation or logistics.
Investigations and survivor accounts allege that some recruits were required to sign military contracts—often written in Russian—after arriving in the country. Some reportedly had their passports withheld or faced financial and contractual barriers that made it difficult to leave.
A Journalists for Justice investigation identified 841 Kenyan recruits between October 2022 and June 2026, including at least 76 reportedly killed. Across Africa, the investigation documented more than 3,000 recruits from 40 countries and 502 confirmed deaths.
Those findings have not been independently verified in full, and official Kenyan figures differ. Kenya’s government said in October that it had documented 354 citizens connected to the conflict, including 77 believed to be on the front line, 38 in military camps, 34 hospitalized and 52 whose locations remained unknown or unclassified. Sixty-two had been repatriated, while five were reportedly being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Kenya’s National Intelligence Service previously estimated that more than 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited. The differences among the available figures underscore how difficult it has been for authorities and families to determine the full scale of the recruitment network.
Russia agrees to halt further enlistment
Ruto said Putin confirmed that Kenya would be designated a “non-source country,” meaning its citizens should no longer be enlisted into the Russian military.
Kenyan officials announced a similar arrangement earlier in 2026, after talks between Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The renewed commitment gives additional political weight to that agreement, but questions remain about whether it will cover private recruiters, intermediaries and operations conducted through third countries.
Kenya’s Parliament recorded an earlier agreement under which Moscow would help stop new recruitment, provide consular access and assist with voluntary disengagement and compensation cases.
Broader cooperation discussed
Ruto and Putin also discussed expanding educational and economic ties. Kenya said the leaders considered increasing the number of Russian scholarships available to Kenyan students from 70 to 300, covering fields such as health, artificial intelligence, aviation, technology and cybersecurity.
The two governments also plan to negotiate a bilateral labor agreement intended to create regulated employment opportunities for Kenyans in Russia. Five cooperation agreements were announced covering economic relations, labor inspection, transportation, diplomatic training and visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic and service passports.
Ruto invited Putin to make an official visit to Kenya. There has been no public confirmation that the Russian president accepted the invitation.
For affected families, the most immediate questions concern the location and condition of missing relatives, the process for leaving Russian military service and whether promised compensation will be delivered. The newly appointed defense attaché will now be responsible for pursuing those matters with Russian authorities.
