Your days are numbered: IG Kanja to recruiters luring Kenyans into Russia-Ukraine War
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, February 28, 2026Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, has come out strongly to warn those who have been recruiting and luring Kenyans into the war in Russia and Ukraine and indicated that their security agencies are tracking them down and that they will be arrested soon.
In a stern warning while speaking in Mombasa on Friday, February 27, 2026, the head of the police threatened that those involved in illegally recruiting Kenyans to join the battlefields of other nations were ready to face the full wrath of the law, as their days are counted.
“Those people who are recruiting Kenyans to go and fight in the Russia-Ukraine war, we want to warn you that your days are numbered. We are coming for you,” Kanja said.
According to Kanja, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has already initiated investigations on individuals and networks who have been involved in luring Kenyans into the war on the pretext of good-paying employment.
He cautioned that the detective is presently trailing the persons of interest and collecting intelligence, and as soon as the investigation is over, the parties concerned will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly. He also noted that they will expose their names to the public, which will assure Kenyans that the authorities will do everything to bring down recruitment syndicates and bring to justice those who commit the act.
Inspector General Kanja warned the recruiters against taking advantage of the vulnerable Kenyans and stated that the security agencies are informed of their operations, and soon they will act.
He emphasised that he will not give a chance to anybody involved in the recruitment of Kenyans into foreign wars, as police and intelligence agencies are collaborating to make sure that all suspects implicated in illicit activities are arrested.
More Kenyans tempted into Russia-Ukraine war
His alert is over the increasing worry over more Kenyans being tempted into the Russia-Ukraine conflict with misleading employment opportunities. It has been reported by intelligence that over 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited, and most of them have been duped with the promise of well-paying jobs in foreign countries, and then they are taken to military training camps and ultimately to the war front.
The recruitment schemes have been termed ‘organised human trafficking networks that take advantage of unemployed and desperate youth’. Most of the victims were assured of salaries, bonuses and employment opportunities in foreign countries, and when they landed at the destinations, they were compelled to get into combat jobs. Kanja reiterated that the National Police Service is determined to ensure the Kenyan people are not exploited and encouraged the citizens to be on their guard.
He urged the citizen to report suspicious recruiting processes and said that any one found trying to entice Kenyans into international wars will be arrested, named and charged according to the law.