Another Kenyan killed fighting for Russia weeks after Mudavadi’s visit

A few weeks after Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi visited Moscow—where Kenya and Russia agreed to halt the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian military—a Kenyan national has been killed on the frontlines.

According to details released by the Ukrainian military, Eric Mwangi died in a mortar attack in the Kharkiv region.

“First confirmed evidence of Russians sending Kenyan mercenaries to their deaths, after the possibility emerged that Africans might be allowed to return home,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement. “Ukrainian military intelligence identified one of the African mercenaries killed in the Kharkiv region. He turned out to be Nyambura Eric Mwangi, a Kenyan citizen recruited by the Russian Federation, born on March 25, 2003.”

Mwangi’s death comes shortly after an agreement between the foreign ministers of Kenya and Russia to stop the recruitment of Kenyan nationals and facilitate the repatriation of those wishing to terminate their contracts and return home.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Kenya, Yurii Tokar, also confirmed the death, accusing Russian authorities of reneging on commitments to halt the recruitment of foreign fighters and assist in their return.

“Another Kenyan recruited by Russia is now dead in Ukraine. They promised to stop recruitment and help bring them home. Instead, they sent them to the front to die — solving the problem by erasing it,” Tokar said.

While hundreds of Kenyans are believed to have been lured into the conflict under false pretenses, Russia has maintained that those already fighting enlisted voluntarily and are required to complete their contracts.

Mudavadi visited Russia on March 15. Following the trip, Ukrainian military officials alleged a plan to deploy at least 772 Kenyan nationals as mercenaries fighting for Russia. Ukrainian authorities also released a list of the alleged recruits, which included Mwangi’s name. Russia has not publicly responded to these claims.

The allegations come even as Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed that at least 252 Kenyans may have been recruited into military operations linked to the Russian Federation, though the actual number could be higher.

“The data from our Embassy in Moscow indicate that approximately 252 Kenyans may have been enlisted in the Russian special military operations. The number could be higher, but the exact figure is yet to be conclusively established,” Mudavadi told lawmakers on April 1. “To date, 47 Kenyans have been rescued, with the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow facilitating their safe repatriation home,” he added.

The latest development underscores growing concern over the fate of Kenyan nationals caught up in the conflict, even after diplomatic efforts to halt their recruitment.

It also comes as families across Kenya continue to hold mock burials for relatives who have died on the frontlines of the Russia–Ukraine war, highlighting the deepening human toll of the conflict on Kenyan households.