Families demand repatriation of kin recruited in Russia

Anna Wambui displays a photo of her son, James Ndung'u, who was recruited into the Russian army /TIMON OTIENO

When Anna Kamau’s son James Ndung'u left Kenya for what he believed was a lucrative job in Russia, she never imagined it would be the last time she heard his voice.

Anna, a resident of Limuru, recalls June 28, 2025, as the day her 32-year-old son, James Ndung’u, travelled abroad after securing what he was told would be a job as a chef.

“My son went to Russia on June 28, 2025. During the application process here in Kenya, we did not get to know who he was associating with as his agent because the process was hurried. I met the agent when we were going to the airport,” she said.

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Ndung'u, a father of one, was promised a monthly salary of Sh260,000 (Usd2015) and was told he would later be promoted to a driver because he had a valid driving licence.

According to Anna, her son travelled with four other job seekers. Their journey involved a stopover in Turkey to pick up other “employees”, where they stayed for 24 hours before proceeding to Russia.

The agent had only demanded Sh30,000 from them to be certain that they were interested in going to Russia, adding that processing of their visas, passports and air tickets would be fully catered for followed this surety.

“They never paid for anything, be it visa, passport or flight ticket. I had a bad feeling because things were being rushed, but my son told me not to worry as there were many Kenyan applicants,” Anna said.

Her last contact with him was on July 17 last year.

“He told me they were being taken into a forest in Russia. He said they had travelled a long distance without stopovers and asked me to pray for him. From that day, I have not heard from him,” she said.

Anna said her son told her they had been instructed to switch off their phones and avoid contacting their families until after an interview process.

Her fears are shared by Peter Kamau’s family.

Kamau, whose brother also travelled to Russia for work, said he became concerned after reports emerged that Kenyan citizens had been found fighting on the Russian frontline in Ukraine.

“I got to know that my brother might be in trouble after the Ukrainian government said they had found Kenyan citizens on the Russian frontline fighting against them,” he said.

Peter said his fears were heightened after hearing testimonies from captured individuals who claimed they were forced into military service without training and deployed to the frontlines.

“It is worth noting that many of these people here have not spoken to their children for over four months now. This leaves us with lots of questions on their welfare. How are they? Could they have been killed? Could they have been in Ukrainian prisons?” Kamau asked.

The families have petitioned the government and Parliament to intensify diplomatic engagement with foreign authorities, expand consular support for affected Kenyans and investigate recruitment syndicates behind the alleged scheme.

They claim the networks promised high salaries, bonuses and even Russian citizenship, only for recruits to be redirected into military training and forced deployment.

They have called for transparent repatriation plans and stronger measures to protect Kenyans from fraudulent overseas recruitment schemes.

Their concerns come as National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah revealed that more than 1,000 Kenyans were recruited into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with many allegedly duped by unscrupulous recruiters promising lucrative overseas work.

According to an intelligence briefing presented to lawmakers, recruits were persuaded to travel on tourist visas through Istanbul and Abu Dhabi before being redirected into Russian military structures upon arrival.

Ichung’wah said the scheme targeted unemployed youth, former soldiers and former police officers, offering salaries of up to Sh350,000 per month, generous bonuses and potential Russian citizenship, only for many to end up in frontline combat with minimal training.

The lawmaker also accused rogue recruitment agencies and corrupt officials of colluding to bypass immigration controls.

He revealed that dozens of Kenyans are hospitalised, missing or deployed on the battlefield, prompting calls for urgent government intervention.

The families are now appealing to the government to urgently intervene and help bring their loved ones home.