Family of Kenyan man who died in Ukraine seeks govt intervention to bring his body home
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, February 2, 2026A family from Bonchari in Kisii County is calling on the government to intervene in repatriating the remains of their son, who died while fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine.
The family wants help to cover the cost of returning the body of Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, a 29-year-old Kenyan who was killed in eastern Ukraine. They say the cost of bringing the remains of their son to accord him a decent burial is expensive, and they may not manage it.
“We are calling on the government to intervene and help us bring his body home because we cannot manage it,” Clinton’s wife said.
Mogesa left Kenya in search of work abroad, hoping to make ends meet and help his family. According to relatives, he sold a piece of family land to raise money for travel to Qatar, where he hoped to find employment.
“He wanted to change our lives,” his brother, Joel Mogere, told a local TV station on Sunday. “He went to Qatar first, then later we heard he had gone to Russia. We never imagined this would happen.”
The family says Mogesa later travelled from Qatar to Russia, where he signed a military contract. Ukrainian authorities reported that he received only brief training before deployment to the front line.
Ukrainian forces later found his body in the Donetsk region following a high-casualty assault, commonly referred to as a “meat assault”. Russian troops did not recover his remains, and the family says they have received no official communication or compensation from Russian authorities.
The shock has hit the family hard. Mogesa was their main provider.
“He was the one who supported us,” Mogere said. “He was the breadwinner and the hope of this family. His death has devastated us.”