The Senate has adjourned a hearing into the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian military after three senior government officials failed to appear before the committees investigating the matter.
The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, brought together the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare and the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi and Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua told the committees they were attending a Cabinet meeting in Kisumu.
The Office of the Attorney-General also informed the committees that the Attorney-General was out of town.
The absence of the officials prompted senators to postpone the hearing, with members arguing that their presence was necessary to respond to questions surrounding the recruitment of Kenyans into foreign military service.
Seven relatives representing more than 800 affected families had travelled from Nyeri, Kericho, Nakuru and other parts of the country to present their accounts before the joint sitting.
Among those who appeared was Bibiana Wangari, whose son died after travelling to Russia.
Winnie Rose Wainaina also attended the hearing. Her brother, Samuel Wainaina, has been missing since late October.
Other families told the committees that their relatives were being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine or had disappeared after being sent to the front.
Information presented before the committees indicated that more than 1,000 Kenyans may have been recruited into foreign military service.
The committees were also told that a raid at Great Wall Gardens in Athi River uncovered 22 people who were allegedly being processed for travel to Russia by two Kenyan handlers.
The alleged recruiters are said to have targeted Kenyans with promises of Russian citizenship and monthly salaries of about KSh350,000.
Some were reportedly promised bonuses of up to KSh1.2 million.
However, some recruits allegedly had their identity documents confiscated after arriving in Russia and were subsequently forced into military service.
The accounts presented before the Senate pointed to concerns over the recruitment networks, the agencies involved and the government’s efforts to trace Kenyans who have gone missing or secure the release of those reportedly captured during the conflict.
Senator Karungo Thang’wa of Kiambu said proceeding with the hearing without the relevant Cabinet secretaries would not serve the intended purpose.
He described receiving evidence from the affected families without the government officials present as “an academic exercise”.
Senator Joe Nyutu of Murang’a supported the position, insisting that the relevant State officers should be present when the petitioners presented their cases.
The affected families also supported the decision to adjourn the hearing, saying they wanted an opportunity to engage the government officials “eye to eye”.
The Senate subsequently postponed the hearing to September 29, 2026.
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