A classified intelligence report presented to Kenya’s National Assembly says more than 1,000 Kenyan nationals have been recruited to fight for Russian forces in the Russia‑Ukraine war, the Majority Leader in Parliament said, citing findings from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The Russia‑Ukraine war began in 2022 following Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, foreign military recruitment has been reported by authorities and investigative organisations in multiple countries.
Kenya’s National Intelligence Service, responsible for national security intelligence, compiled the report with the DCI, Kenya’s principal investigative police agency.
It was presented in Parliament on February 18, 2026, as lawmakers scrutinised how nationals are being recruited abroad for combat duties.
The report to Parliament says more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited and taken to fight for Russian forces in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah said the intelligence indicates many recruits were misled by private agencies and intermediaries offering overseas jobs that included promises of attractive salaries, bonuses and potential citizenship.
The report notes that recruiters targeted former military personnel, ex‑police officers and civilians, offering monthly pay and other incentives as part of recruitment into Russian military service.
According to findings shared in Parliament, recruits were initially told they would travel for security or logistics work abroad, with many departing on tourist visas via routes passing through Istanbul in Türkiye, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and other countries to evade scrutiny at Kenya’s main Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Once in Russia, recruits were reportedly taken to training camps and subsequently deployed to front‑line combat zones in Ukraine after brief preparation.
The report presented figures on the status of those recruited, indicating that 39 Kenyans are hospitalised, 30 have been repatriated to Kenya, 28 are missing in action, 35 remain in military camps and 89 are on the front line, with one detained and another having completed a contract.
The DCI and NIS briefings detailed alleged collusion involving some immigration officers, criminal investigation staff and National Employment Authority officials, along with private recruitment companies, in facilitating the movement of recruits without proper interception.
The intelligence report has prompted calls from Kenyan lawmakers for relevant ministries to identify and hold to account officials allegedly complicit in recruitment and travel facilitation to Russia, including through government agencies and diplomatic missions.
Members of Parliament have labelled the operations a national security concern, urging the Ministry of Interior and other authorities to expose rogue recruitment channels and strengthen oversight of overseas employment offers.
The figures on hospitalised, missing and repatriated individuals underscore the varied outcomes and risks faced by Kenyan nationals recruited under these networks
