Kenyans enlisted to fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine will be granted amnesty on their return home, according to the East African nation's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi.
This announcement follows Mudavadi's recent diplomatic visit to Moscow, where he addressed the situation of illegal enlistments of Kenyans into the conflict. It was agreed that no further Kenyans would be recruited for the Russian side.
Under Kenyan law, it is illegal for citizens to be conscripted into foreign armies, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison. The foreign ministry indicates that around 252 Kenyans have been illegally conscripted to fight, a trend that has also affected recruits from other African nations.
The individuals often reported being lured with promises of well-paying civilian jobs, only to find themselves involuntarily enlisted as combatants, often signing contracts in Russian without understanding the implications.
So far, 44 Kenyans have been successfully repatriated, while 11 are reported missing or have been killed. Additionally, 38 are hospitalized in Russia, and 160 remain actively involved in the conflict.
Following Mudavadi's intervention, arrangements were made to enable those on the front lines and unwilling to continue to disengage and return home. Russia, in turn, has agreed to include Kenya in a stop list to halt further illegal recruitment efforts.
The foreign ministry has also disclosed plans to collaborate on combating human trafficking and illegal recruitment tied to the military campaign, as the situation continues to evolve amidst public outcry from relatives of the involved fighters.
As international scrutiny rises, the Kenyan government is under pressure to address these illicit recruitment practices, having already closed over 600 recruitment agencies allegedly involved in offering false job opportunities abroad.
