A man named Boniface rented a unit in Great Wall on short-stay terms on August 25, telling the landlady that he needed to host some guests who were travelling abroad soon.
He did not say which country the guests were travelling to, or even who they were, but that on September 3, they would be gone.
The 38-year-old landlady, who works for a vehicle dealer in Nairobi, agreed to rent the three-bedroom apartment for Sh3,500 per day, rather than the usual Sh30,000 monthly rent.
The payments were made by someone else, with the payment slips bearing the name Edward Kamau Gituku. A day after the guests were supposed to have travelled, Boniface sought to rent the unit again, as he had more guests about to leave Kenya.
The short-stay rental arrangement lasted until September 24, when police officers acting on an intelligence tip-off arrested 13 Kenyans and their host, Gituku, in the apartment.
Gituku was working with Shepherd Talent, an agency police believe has lured other Kenyans into Russia’s frontline, something the apartment owner has denied knowledge of in a statement recorded with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
A Ukrainian soldier of an artillery unit fires towards Russian positions outside Bakhmut on November 8, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Photo credit: AFP
Some of the recruits told police that Gituku and other agents had promised them driving, security and other casual jobs in Russia, which would pay up to Sh300,000 monthly.
All they had to do was present their travel documents and pay agency fees of between Sh70,000 and Sh200,000. Investigations now show that the jobs were a smokescreen for an agency recruiting fighters for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“She (the landlady) might end up being a state witness to assist in the ongoing investigation,” a DCI officer, who is not authorised to reveal investigation progress to the press, told Daily Nation.
All the recruits had their medical examinations conducted at a level two health facility in Muthaiga. It is still unclear whether the health facility and its owners and managers were part of the recruitment plan.
Contacted, an official at the facility who introduced herself as a receptionist promised to link this reporter with the management, but did not.
She did not respond to follow-up text messages inquiring whether the facility has a contract with Shepherd Talent. In a follow-up text message, the facility was specifically asked whether it had a contract with the recruiting companies, but the message was not responded to.
Judy Wanjiru, who owns Shepherd Talent, promised to respond to our queries later. Her husband later said that there would be no comment on the matter. “Don’t call again, you can go and report to the police or publish the article that you want to,” he said.
Geoffrey Ruoho, one of the individuals arrested on September 24, quit his job as a driver for a prominent entrepreneur living in Kileleshwa after being told that he could earn Sh46,000 as a cleaner in Qatar.
The 28-year-old told the DCI in his statement that he was informed of the Russian job by his friend, Stephen Kanja. “Kanja, who is a job seeker wishing to go to Europe, was aware that I also needed to get an overseas job, and I did not have any preference for any country. He then introduced me to an agent called Francis Wahome,” said Mr Ruoho.
In July, they exchanged contacts and the process kicked off. His father paid the money, but the agency switched the destination to Dubai, with an improved salary of Sh70,000.
Then it switched again, to Kuwait with a Sh53,000 salary. Finally, the agent told Ruoho that there was a good offer – a Sh200,000-a-month job in the security sector, in Russia. When he accepted the Russian deal, things happened so fast, and he joined the rest of those who were arrested by the police within Garden Wall apartments in Athi River. Seven individuals arrested on September 24 in their statements denied being lured by human traffickers.
They insist they were not radicalised, coerced, or promised anything illegal. They describe themselves simply as jobseekers – willing, hopeful, and desperate for an opportunity that promises life-changing pay.
At the centre of the DCI investigation are two recruitment agencies: Shepherd Talent, based near Kasarani police station, and Global Face Recruiting Agency, which has previously facilitated security jobs abroad. A representative of Global Face previously told the Nation that Kenyans travelling to Russia “did it of their own free will.” “The company opened opportunities for security jobs in Russia and clients willingly applied,” the representative said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters last month that more than 200 Kenyans have joined the Russian military, stating that the group arrested on September 24 had been misled on the nature of the jobs promised to them.
Ukrainian serviceman from mobile air defence unit fires a machine gun towards a Russian drone in Kharkiv region.
Photo credit: Sofiia Gatilova | Reuters
The ministry stated that recruiting agencies are still actively working to lure more Kenyans into the conflict. According to the ministry, Kenya’s embassy in Moscow has recorded injuries among some of the recruits, who were allegedly promised up to $18,000 to cover costs for visas, travel, and accommodation.
The ministry said that those rescued had been misled about the nature of their work, believing they were recruited for non-combat roles such as assembling drones, handling chemicals and painting.
Mr Kevin Moenga, a security analyst and founder of Antenks Auto Techs Agency, says the revelations in statements recorded by police raise questions about exactly how many Kenyans are fighting for Moscow in the Ukraine invasion, and indicate that recruiters are steps ahead of police.
“How many more Kenyans are already on the same path — unseen, uncounted, and one decision away from the battlefield thousands of kilometres from home?” Mr Moenga posed.
The security analyst added that until a full picture emerges on how Kenyans are ending up on the Russia–Ukraine war frontline, recruiters may continue to outpace.
