Kenya has rescued another of its citizens from the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war, just days after they dismantled a group they claimed was responsible for recruiting fighters.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has confirmed the rescue and repatriation of a third Kenyan national, who they say was deceived into joining the ongoing conflict. He was promised employment, but was enlisted to fight in the conflict for Russia.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing'oei, said that the Kenyan national, Kevin Kariuki Nduma, had been released from captivity in Ukraine, where he had been held as a prisoner of war after being captured while fighting alongside Russian forces. He is now on his way back to Kenya.
Dr Sing'oei said that Nduma's release had been made possible through the efforts of Kenya's foreign mission in Moscow, which is also accredited to Kyiv in Ukraine.
“I commend our Mission in Moscow for the effort to rescue and repatriate Kenyans caught in this unfortunate and dangerous situation,” his statement read.
“We implore Kenyans to exercise all diligence in verifying the authenticity of any foreign employment contracts and to seek advice from the ministry, and particularly our Diaspora State department, should they have doubt.”
Nduma is one of a group of Kenyans who were reportedly coerced into joining the Russian army after leaving Kenya.
His case is part of a wider pattern involving an alleged human trafficking network that lures unsuspecting Kenyan job seekers with promises of lucrative civilian roles in Russia. Upon arrival, many of them are instead forced into military service or made to support the Russian war effort against Ukraine.
Last week, Kenyan security agencies announced that they had launched a crackdown on recruitment agencies suspected of facilitating this trafficking ring. They are accused of targeting vulnerable young people with fake job offers, only for the victims to find themselves conscripted or coerced into the conflict.
Nduma is said to have fallen victim to one such scheme, ending up fighting alongside Russian forces before being captured by Ukrainian troops and held as a prisoner of war.
Last week, the authorities confirmed the arrest and deportation of a Russian national suspected of recruiting Kenyan citizens to fight in the conflict in Ukraine. Some 22 Kenyans were rescued from a house where they had been waiting to travel to the front line.
Mike Lyapin, a key player in the cartel trafficking Kenyans to Russia to join the military, had reportedly been operating from the Russian embassy in Nairobi.
According to detectives, Lyapin first arrived in Kenya on March 6, 2017 and had planned to flee the country after learning that he was wanted.
However, soon after his arrest, the Russian embassy dismissed reports that Lyapin had been deported.
In a press statement on Saturday, the embassy said that the Russian citizen had been escorted to the offices of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nairobi to give evidence about his business activities in the country.
“Upon completing all necessary procedures, in the afternoon of September 26, Mr Lyapin, in accordance with his previous plans, left Kenya. Diplomats of the Russian Embassy in Nairobi provided the necessary consular and legal assistance to the Russian citizen, and also made sure that his legal rights were not violated,” said the Russian Federation.
“Contrary to the reports of several media outlets, Mr Lyapin has never been an employee of Russian governmental bodies and does not work at the Russian Embassy in Nairobi.”
Meanwhile, a Kenyan man named Edward Kamau Gituku, who is believed to have coordinated the processing of these victims, was arrested.
The Kahawa Law Courts have since ordered Gituku to be detained at Muthaiga Police Station, following a request from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to extend his custody.
Investigators suspect that Gituku led an international trafficking network that transported Kenyans to Moscow, where the victims were reportedly exploited.
Some of the victims told detectives that they had already paid deposits ranging from Sh50,000 to Sh100,000 upon being promised a salary of Sh200,000.
The latest arrest come just days after Ukraine’s military released a video of Evans Kibet, a 36-year-old Kenyan athlete, surrendering to Kyiv troops after being deployed to the front line by Russia.
He was captured by Ukraine’s 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade in the Kharkiv Oblast, near the town of Vovchansk.
In a video interview after his capture, Kibet said that he had travelled to Russia as a tourist before being tricked by someone he met there into joining the Russian army. He had been in the country for two weeks.
“I was recruited to the Russian military without knowing. I have never been in the military. I have never wanted a job in the military. I went to Russia as a tourist and spent two weeks. On the day before I was due to leave, my contact person asked me what I thought of Russia. And I said it was good. He asked if I would like to stay. I said yes, but my visa had expired,” he said.
Kibet stated that the contact person offered to help with his visa situation and that he had a job ready for him.
