Family of Kenyan man killed in Ukraine says son went to Qatar as security guard
By Mustafa Juma, February 7, 2026The family of a Kenyan man killed in the ongoing Ukraine–Russia war has revealed that he left the country believing he was travelling to Qatar for a security job, only for communication to suddenly cease before news of his death emerged online.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Saturday, February 7, 2026, John Ombwori said his son, Denis Bagaka Ombwori, had informed the family that he was headed to Qatar to work as a security guard.
According to the grieving father, they remained in regular contact for about one to two months after his departure before all communication abruptly stopped.
“Kijana wangu alienda Qatar kama security guard. Kufika huko tulikuwa tukiwasiliana kwa muda wa mwezi mmoja au miwili hivi. Baadaye mawasiliano yote yakakatika,” Ombwori said.
Social media
The family only learnt of their son’s death after reports circulated on social media indicating that he had been involved in fighting in the Ukraine–Russia war.
“Mpaka jana ndiyo nilishtukia habari kwa mitandao zikisema kwamba kijana wangu alienda katika vita ya Ukraine na Russia,” he added.
Denis Bagaka Ombwori, a former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier, was among two bodies recently found near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
His remains were discovered close to those of another Kenyan national, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, who was also killed in the same area.
Recruited in Qatar
According to the family, Ombwori is among several Kenyans who were allegedly duped into travelling abroad by rogue recruitment agencies promising lucrative security jobs in countries such as Qatar, only for them to later find themselves drawn into the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukrainian intelligence, in a statement shared via X, said that all three Kenyans were recruited in Qatar, where they worked for security companies offering high and stable incomes.
“DIU reports that the bodies of two more Kenyan citizens who were recruited by the aggressor state of Russia to wage a criminal war against Ukraine have been found in the vicinity of the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region,” the X post read.
Bagaka and Mogesa arrived at a recruitment centre in Yaroslavl, Russia, on September 27, 2025, while Wahome Simon Gititu, whose body was found alongside Bagaka’s, joined them a month later, on October 28, 2025.