A total of 289 Kenyans have at one point been recruited into the Russian military, with at least 69 either confirmed dead or missing in action, Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu has revealed, offering the clearest picture yet of the number of citizens caught up in Russia's war with Ukraine.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday, PS Roseline Njogu said government records show that of the 289 Kenyans recruited into what Russia refers to as its "special military operations", only 64 have so far returned home.

Njogu said another 69 Kenyans have either been killed or are missing in action, based on information received from the Russian government, while about 153 others are believed to be in military camps, on the front line, or their whereabouts remain unknown.

"Because it is a war, it is expected that lives will be lost. Armed conflict means people are dying," the PS said, adding that the figures were compiled from reports made by families as well as Kenyans who enlisted.

📌 What You Need to Know

She noted that Kenya is not a party to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reminding citizens that it is illegal under Section 68 of the Penal Code for a Kenyan to enlist in a foreign military without the President's approval.

According to Njogu, those who returned from Russia would ordinarily have faced arrest and prosecution for joining a foreign army unlawfully. However, the government granted amnesty, allowing returnees to return home without facing criminal charges.

The PS also disclosed that Kenya has since reached a diplomatic agreement with Russia to halt the recruitment of Kenyan citizens into its military, following discussions between Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Russian officials earlier this year.

She said Mudavadi secured assurances from Russia's Foreign Ministry that Kenya had been placed on a "stop list", preventing any further recruitment of Kenyans into the country's 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 follows talks held in March 2026, when Mudavadi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to end the recruitment of Kenyan citizens through official defence channels.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke