Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi has stated that Kenyans will no longer be enlisted in the Russian military.

In a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, March 16, 2026, the Prime CS said that this decision was reached after a meeting between the diplomatic offices, the Russian defence ministry, and the consular heads of both Kenya and Russia.

“We have now agreed that Kenyans shall not be enlisted in the Department of Defence, and they will no longer be eligible for enlisting in the military here in Russia,” Mudavadi said in Moscow. 

Mudavadi also stated that Kenyans who were already recruited into the Russian army and require assistance or hospitalisation due to injuries sustained in the line of duty will be facilitated through the proper diplomatic channels as required by law.

The resolution

Mudavadi explained that this resolution came after considering that the long-term relationship between Russia and Kenya could be strained simply because of the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian army.

He emphasised that this is just an isolated incident and that the relationship between the two countries is much broader than this matter.

He further added that this decision became common ground following widespread concerns from Kenyans whose family members had been recruited into the Russian army to participate in special military operations in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to Mudavadi, the cessation of Kenyan recruitment in the Russian military addresses these concerns.

Regarding the procedures used for Kenyans to join the Russian military, the Russian foreign affairs minister stated that the contracts were signed voluntarily and that there was no coercion involved.

“Russia does not decide to recruit; people join voluntarily. No one can prevent their citizens from looking for jobs if they want to look for jobs. We don’t target Africa specifically. We have citizens from Asia and other countries.”

Reparation of kenyans

On the issue of repatriation of Kenyans in the Russian military, Mudavadi’s Russian counterpart stated that in the contract they signed upon joining the force, there were no terms for repatriation.

Since the recruitment and enlistment of Kenyans in the Russian military have been suspended, they will have to terminate their contracts with the Ministry of Defence as required by Russian law and plan their own ways to return home.

The meeting was held following concerns from Kenyans whose relatives had been recruited into the Russian military, with some losing their lives and families unable to repatriate their bodies back to Kenya.