Detectives based at Moyale Police Station arrested a 33-year-old man believed to be a key player in a human trafficking syndicate operating across borders.
The suspect, Festus Arasa Omwamba, had reportedly been on the police radar for his alleged involvement in trafficking vulnerable individuals under the pretense of securing them legitimate employment opportunities in European countries.
He had also been mentioned as the key trafficker of Kenyans to Russia where some of them were lured to join the war against Ukraine.
He is believed to have been planning to leave the country through the porous Kenya-Ethiopia border when he was arrested on Wednesday. According to investigators, victims were lured with promises of well-paying jobs abroad.
However, upon arrival in foreign countries, they allegedly found themselves trapped in illegal and hazardous working conditions, stripped of their dignity, rights, and safety. Police say the suspect is believed to be part of a wider criminal network that targets job seekers desperate for overseas opportunities.
Authorities are now pursuing additional leads to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate.
Omwamba was detained for processing ahead of his arraignment in court. In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations reiterated its commitment to combating human trafficking and dismantling criminal networks that prey on vulnerable individuals.
The DCI noted that through sustained intelligence-led operations and close multi-agency collaboration, it remains resolute in bringing perpetrators to justice and protecting unsuspecting victims from exploitation. Investigations are ongoing.
In just nine months, he has been accused of defrauding desperate jobseekers, attempting to fraudulently obtain money from a dead man’s bank account, and of working as a mercenary who helped recruit at least 1,000 Kenyans into Russia’s military.
Some of the Kenyans have so far been killed in the fighting while others are injured and in hospital. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is expected to fly to Moscow to seek the return of the Kenyans. In between that, the registered United Democratic Alliance member engineered the removal of nominated senator Gloria Orwoba from office, by filing an internal complaint with his party.
The High Court in October dismissed Orwoba’s appeal against a Political Parties Disputes Tribunal decision, which also declined to quash her expulsion from UDA and removal as a nominated senator.
A National Intelligence Service (NIS) dossier read to MPs on February 18, 2026 indicated that a stop order—a directive barring an individual from leaving the country—had been issued against Omwamba for his alleged role in luring Kenyans to their death on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war: Kenya’s spy agency told MPs Omwamba’s firm, Global Face Human Resource Ltd, while operating without a licence from the National Employment Agency worked with unnamed individuals in Moscow to recruit at least 1,000 Kenyans to fight for Russia.
The report stated that Omwamba, besides sourcing Kenyans to join the Russian military, facilitated their accommodation, traveling to Moscow and helped the recruits in opening bank accounts.
The signing bonus ranged from Sh910,000 to Sh1.2 million and attracted both police and military veterans. There have been attempts by the authorities to prosecute him for the alleged jobs fraud and recruitment of Kenyans to the war frontline. Some insiders say there is a link between the suspect and some members of the political class who could be linked to the scam.
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