A released American report has implicated Kenyan government officials in the recruitment of over 1,000 Kenyans who were sent to serve in the Russian military amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
The 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, published by the U.S. Department of State, points to suspected collusion involving Kenyan officials, recruitment firms, and Russian government officers in the exercise.
“Officials reported that some Kenyan officials colluded with recruitment agencies and government officials from Russia to facilitate the fraudulent recruitment of more than 1,000 Kenyan men to fight for the Russian military,” the report said in part.
The report, made public on Thursday, October 8, said some of the recruited Kenyans were enticed with promises of lucrative jobs in security or construction, only to be pressured into signing contracts with Russia’s Defence Ministry.
It said corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action during the year.
It further faults the Kenyan government for what it describes as insufficient action against recruitment agencies said to be owned by public officials and linked to trafficking-related offences.
“The government did not report taking action against recruitment agencies reportedly owned by government employees that were allegedly complicit in facilitating trafficking crimes; lesser charges, such as failing to register a recruitment company, were frequently levied,” the report added.
The report also states that President William Ruto’s administration opted for lighter penalties.
It cites Kenyan media reports indicating that over 10 per cent of government officials hold ownership stakes in private employment agencies, a situation that raises conflict-of-interest concerns.
The report additionally highlights claims that dishonest recruiters and Russian officials targeted foreign nationals, including Africans, using fraudulent offers tied to vocational training and employment
More than 1,000 Kenyan men were fraudulently recruited to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine.
Kenyan men are recruited with promises of high-paying security or construction jobs and later coerced into signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Chinese nationals employed in Kenya at worksites affiliated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative were vulnerable to forced labor, particularly in construction.
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