Police in Kenya have charged a recruitment agent accused of deceiving young men with promises of overseas jobs, only for them to be sent to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
State prosecutors said Festus Arasa Omwamba, head of Global Faces Human Resources, recruited 22 Kenyans “for the purpose of exploitation by means of deception.” The victims were rescued last September from an apartment complex in Athi River, near Nairobi, before they could travel to Russia. Three others had already left the country and later returned home injured after being deployed to the front line, prosecutors added.
Omwamba, 33, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was arrested earlier this month near the Ethiopian border after surrendering to police.
According to Kenya’s National Intelligence Service, as many as 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia since the conflict began. Presenting the findings to parliament, majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah described a “deeply disturbing” network allegedly involving rogue officials working with human trafficking syndicates to facilitate recruitment and transport.
Police said victims rescued in Athi River revealed they had signed contracts with an overseas employment agency and were required to pay up to $18,000 for visas, travel, accommodation and logistics. The intelligence service reported that upon arrival in Russia, many recruits were given minimal military training before being sent into combat zones.
The Kenyan government has said it will press Russia to ban the recruitment of Kenyan nationals to fight in Ukraine. The Russian embassy in Nairobi denied encouraging Kenyans to join the war or issuing visas for that purpose, stating that while it does not recruit foreigners, Russian law allows foreign nationals legally in the country to enlist voluntarily.
Ukraine’s foreign minister said this week that more than 1,700 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia. South Africa confirmed on Thursday that two of its citizens had been killed in Ukraine, with others repatriated or still receiving medical treatment in Russia.
Ukrainian authorities have warned that anyone fighting for Russia will be treated as an enemy combatant and urged foreign fighters to surrender as the only safe exit route from the conflict. At the same time, Ukraine has previously faced criticism for attempting to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its own side.
