Mudavadi clarifies why govt delayed repatriation of Kenyans fighting in Russia
By Aloys Michael, March 18, 2026Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS) and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, has addressed the reasons behind the government’s delay in repatriating citizens involved with the Russian military, including those reportedly coerced into joining.
Mudavadi has emphasised the diplomatic and security considerations that influenced the timing of any potential return.
In an interview on a local TV station on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the PSC said the process is far from straightforward, noting that those involved are currently embedded in battlefield operations.
“The process of getting them back is not an instant process. They are involved in the battlefield, and to extract them from there is not just going to a place and plucking them out and putting them on a plane,” he stated.
“It is a process, and Russia, with its capabilities, will have to assist these Kenyans to be retrieved from those frontlines when their time for disengagement reaches,” he added.
Their extraction, he argued, would depend heavily on cooperation from the Russian government, as well as the operational realities on the battleground.
Victims compensation
Meanwhile, he has ruled out any form of compensation for Kenyans who were recruited to fight in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, saying their enlistment was illegal and not sanctioned by the government, adding that the role would be limited to facilitating the return of affected Kenyans.
“We cannot compensate those who were lured because they did not announce their departure; they were not sanctioned by the government of Kenya. What we can do is only assist to bring them home,” Mudavadi stated.
Mudavadi emphasised that Kenyan law does not allow citizens to join foreign military forces without express approval from the Head of State.
“One of the things we have to emphasise here is that these Kenyans signed contracts, but we are alive to the fact that we are here to stop the enlistment of Kenyans into the special military operations. Some Kenyans are facing either possible charges or have had to write statements with some of our investigative agencies in Kenya for having been part of a process, and the details are going to emerge as they face the law in Kenya. What has been happening is illegal. We are dealing with a situation where there has been a breach of law,” he added.
Kenyans recruited abroad
Mudavadi’s remarks come against the backdrop of growing concern over the number of Kenyans reportedly recruited into foreign conflicts, particularly in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
In recent months, reports have emerged of Kenyan nationals being lured with promises of lucrative pay, travel opportunities and stable employment, only to find themselves deployed to active war zones. Recruitment networks are said to target young men, many of them unemployed or seeking opportunities abroad, through informal agents and online platforms.
The Kenyan government has previously warned that such arrangements are often exploitative, with recruits signing contracts under unclear terms and facing harsh conditions once deployed.
There have also been cases where families in Kenya reported losing contact with relatives who travelled abroad for what they believed were civilian jobs, only to later learn that they had been enlisted into military service.