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Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi addresses the media in Nairobi on January 21, 2026.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is set to visit Russia, as the government cracks down on agencies recruiting Kenyans to fight in the Ukraine war. This was announced by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Thursday.
Speaking to MPs at the Kamukunji meeting in Parliament, Mr Murkomen said his Ministry is working with other agencies to track down recruitment agencies with the aim of bringing them to justice.
Mr Murkomen informed the MPs that Mr Mudavadi, who is also the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, had told the Cabinet on Tuesday at the State House that he intended to visit Russia to find a solution to the issue of Kenyans being lured by unscrupulous agencies to fight in Ukraine.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen addresses the media at the National Police College Embakasi, Nairobi on January 29, 2026.
The CS informed MPs that these agencies exploit jobless young people by offering them lucrative jobs, only for them to end up fighting in a foreign land.
“There is an emerging threat of the vulnerable youth and young Kenyans being lured by unscrupulous men and recruitment agencies with promises of lucrative foreign jobs only to be recruited in fighting wars in foreign land. The government is working down with relevant agencies to track down and prosecute these agencies while enhancing public awareness campaign,” Mr Murkomen said.
Promises of jobs overseas
“The Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS) will soon be visiting Russia as part of government effort to deal with the issue as he updated the Cabinet on Tuesday,” Mr Murkomen added.
Last week, bodies of two Kenyans who were recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine were recovered near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, according to the information revealed by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
The deceased were identified as Ombwori Denis Bagaka and Wahome Simon Gititu. Their remains were found close to another Kenyan mercenary, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, who had been killed in the same area.
In an interview with BBC on Tuesday this week, Mr Mudavadi said the government had closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs overseas.
Mr Mudavadi called the practice "unacceptable and clandestine", and said Nairobi had shut down illegal recruiters and would urge Moscow to sign a deal banning the conscription of Kenyan soldiers.
Although Mr Murkomen said the overall security situation in the country remains stable, he pointed out that cybercrime, organised goons and mob culture perpetuated especially by boda boda operators remain a key headache to the government
Clinton Nyapara Mogesa who has been fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The overall security situation in the country remains stable. But we are alive to the fact that security is a moving target and for that reason we remain extremely vigilant,” Mr Murkomen told MPs.
Mr Murkomen admitted that the country continues to face the threat of organised criminal gangs.
In 2025, Team Mbogi operating in peri-urban areas mostly in Umoja among other areas emerged. These are young people of ages 13-15 years. The trend is troubling as teens continue to engage in criminal activities
Mr Murkomen told the lawmakers that misinformation and disinformation also continues to threaten the security of the country and security agencies remain heightened
“The county is also experiencing heightened political tension. If there is something that will be a headache to us dealing with the disinformation and misinformation in the digital area,” Mr Murkomen said.
“The boda boda sector remains a vital pillar in the country’s economy providing employment and livelihood to thousands of young people across the country, criminal elements have however invaded the sector whose acts have resulted into lawlessness and created disorder,” Mr Murkomen told MPs.
Charles Waithaka, a Kenyan national who died in the Russia–Ukraine war on December 25, 2025, is pictured in military attire.
The CS told the lawmakers that security agencies are on high alert to apprehend and charge criminals in the sector as it is also working with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to ensure all operators are registered into Saccos and operate within a designated area.
On the ongoing operation in the North Rift, Mr Murkomen said the government has so far recovered 1,200 guns as he maintains that the exercise still ongoing in Isiolo, Samburu and in the border between Turkana and West Pokot
Mr Murkomen said the government has also enhanced border surveillance as part of its effort to deal with cross border security challenges.
In dealing with security threats related to cybercrime, Mr Murkomen said the government has enhanced the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) cybercrime unit and forensic digital capabilities to deal with the cybercrime in the country.
