Kenya moves to repatriate citizens recruited by Russia

Kenya says it is moving to bring home citizens recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine, with returnees set to receive amnesty under a new arrangement announced after talks in Moscow, according to a BBC report. The shift gives Nairobi a forward path on both repatriation and legal protection for those coming back.

Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said Kenya and Russia had agreed that no more Kenyans would be recruited, while those already on the front line and unwilling to continue would be allowed to disengage and travel home. That position aligns with a report on the Moscow talks, which said Kenya had secured a “stop list” arrangement to block further enlistment.

The next step for Nairobi is managing the return process while stepping up action against the networks accused of luring young Kenyans abroad with promises of civilian work. Earlier reporting , said many recruits were allegedly misled before being sent into the war zone, adding pressure on the Kenyan government to intervene.

Under Kenyan law, joining a foreign army without state approval is illegal and can carry a prison term, but the amnesty pledge signals that the government is treating many of the cases as coercive or deceptive recruitment rather than straightforward criminal enlistment. The policy also widens Kenya’s response from diplomacy to prevention, with officials now expected to focus on repatriation, anti-trafficking enforcement and tighter oversight of overseas job agencies.

Kenya’s foreign ministry has said 44 citizens have already been repatriated, while others remain hospitalised, missing, killed or still active in the conflict, according to the BBC. The government’s immediate challenge is to turn the Moscow agreement into a workable return mechanism for those still trapped in or near the war.