NAIROBI, Kenya – The government has disclosed that 289 citizens have been recruited into the Russian military since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, with at least 69 confirmed dead or missing in action.
Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu revealed the figures during an interview on Radio Generation on Wednesday, describing them as the clearest government record yet of Kenyans caught up in the conflict.
According to Njogu, only 64 of those who enlisted have returned to Kenya, while another 153 are believed to be serving on the battlefield, stationed in military camps or their whereabouts remain unknown.
“Because it is a war, it is expected that lives will be lost. Armed conflict means people are dying,” Njogu said, noting that the figures were compiled from reports submitted by affected families and Kenyans who enlisted, alongside information received from the Russian government.
The Principal Secretary reminded Kenyans that the country is not a party to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and warned that it is illegal under Section 68 of the Penal Code for any Kenyan to join a foreign military without the approval of the President.
She, however, said the government granted amnesty to Kenyans who returned from Russia, sparing them from prosecution despite the legal provisions that could have seen them charged for unlawful enlistment.
Njogu also announced that Kenya has successfully negotiated with Russia to stop the recruitment of Kenyan citizens into its military.
She said the breakthrough followed diplomatic engagements led by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi with Russian authorities earlier this year.
According to the PS, Russia agreed to place Kenya on a “stop list,” effectively ending the recruitment of Kenyan nationals into what Moscow describes as its “special military operations.”
“We negotiated with their Foreign Ministry, and our minister got the assurances of their foreign minister that they would put Kenya on the stop list. This means stop recruiting Kenyans into your special military operations, and Kenyans have not been recruited since that date,” Njogu said.
The agreement stems from bilateral talks held in March 2026 between Mudavadi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which both governments agreed to end the recruitment of Kenyans through official defence channels.
The two countries also agreed that any Kenyan found serving in Russian military camps against their will would be released to Kenya’s Embassy in Moscow for immediate repatriation.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, the latest figures highlight the heavy toll the conflict has taken on Kenyan families, with more than half of those known to have enlisted yet to return home.
Njogu urged Kenyans seeking jobs abroad to use legal labour migration programmes and exercise caution against offers that could lure them into foreign armed conflicts, warning that many families have paid a devastating price.