NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenyan government has said that citizens reported captured while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war were victims of manipulation and human trafficking, not voluntary combatants.
Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Korir Sing’Oei made the disclosure on Monday after meeting Ukraine’s new Ambassador to Kenya, Yurii Tokar, in Nairobi.
Dr. Sing’Oei said the government was in contact with Ukrainian authorities to secure consular assistance and safe repatriation for the affected Kenyans.
“Following reports of Kenyan nationals captured by Ukrainian forces while on the frontline, I sought Ambassador Tokar’s support for them to access consular assistance and be repatriated home,” the PS said.
He said investigations had shown that most of the Kenyans caught up in the conflict had been misled and trafficked into combat zones under false pretences, often through fraudulent job offers abroad.
“Most Kenyans involved were victims of manipulation and trafficking. The government is doing everything possible to protect vulnerable citizens from such exploitation,” Dr. Sing’Oei said.
H.E. Yurii Tokar, the new Ambassador of Ukraine to Kenya, paid me a courtesy call this afternoon. I congratulated him on presenting his credentials to H.E President @WilliamSruto and welcomed him to Kenya, as he begins his tour of duty.I reiterated Kenya’s position on the need
The remarks come weeks after a Kenyan athlete, Evans Kibet, was reported captured by Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv Oblast after surrendering.
Kibet told Ukrainian media that he had travelled to Russia as a tourist before being tricked into signing up for military service.
“I went there as a tourist and spent two weeks, but when I had one day left before returning, the man who received me asked if I wanted to stay. I said yes, but my visa had expired,” Kibet recounted.
Kenya’s mission in Moscow has since rescued and repatriated at least four nationals who were allegedly conscripted into the Russian army against their will.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has warned Kenyans to be wary of human trafficking syndicates exploiting global conflicts to recruit unsuspecting victims with promises of well-paying jobs or sports contracts abroad.
Dr. Sing’Oei reiterated Kenya’s stance that dialogue and respect for national sovereignty remain the most viable paths to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its third year.
During his meeting with Ambassador Tokar, the PS also sought Ukraine’s support for Kenya’s candidature to the International Maritime Organization Council and for Professor Phoebe Okowa’s bid to serve as a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
