Kenya has strongly condemned the recruitment of its citizens under false pretenses to fight in Ukraine, describing the practice as “unacceptable” and warning that victims are being used as “cannon fodder.”
Junior Foreign Minister Korir Sing’Oei said the recruits were misled with promises of high-paying jobs in Russia but were instead forced to sign contracts with the Russian army and sent to the front lines. “It’s unacceptable for them to be participants in this conflict,” Sing’Oei told AFP. Reports indicate that some Kenyans have died on the battlefield while others sustained serious injuries.
An AFP investigation revealed that four men, all without military experience, were among those deceived. One expected to work as a salesman, two as security guards, and another as a professional athlete, but all were quickly sent to fight in Ukraine under contracts written in Russian. “These individuals are used as cannon fodder on the war front. No Kenyan would voluntarily enter into that kind of engagement,” Sing’Oei said.
In response, Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi announced plans to travel to Moscow to seek solutions, secure the release of Kenyans held as prisoners of war, and verify the conditions of those hospitalized. “We have seen loss of lives, and I am planning to make a visit to Moscow so that we can emphasise that this is something that needs to be arrested,” Mudavadi said.
Mudavadi also confirmed that over 30 Kenyans had been evacuated from Russia in the past two months and that the government had shut down unscrupulous recruitment agencies operating in the country.
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