Russia agrees to stop using Kenyan recruits in Ukraine conflict, Kenya says

Kenya's foreign minister says Russia has agreed to stop deploying Kenyan nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Musalia Mudavadi made the announcement while sitting next to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, after talks between the pair in Moscow.

"I want to make it clear that we have now agreed that Kenyans shall not be enlisted through the [Russian] Ministry of Defence - they will no longer be eligible to be enlisted," Mudavadi said. "There will no further enlisting."

A Kenyan intelligence report warned in February that more than 1,000 citizens had been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

Lavrov did not comment on the reported agreement but said that all Kenyans - and citizens of other countries - had enlisted voluntarily to fight for Russia "in full compliance with Russian law, which also provides for the possibility of early termination of the contract".

Some Kenyans have said they were lured to fight for Russia with promises of well‑paid civilian jobs, only to find themselves forced into fighting in Ukraine,

Mudavadi is also seeking the repatriation of Kenyans who wish to return home.

He last month told the BBC that Kenyan authorities had closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs overseas.

So far 27 Kenyans who had been fighting in Russia have been repatriated, with authorities providing psychological care to address their trauma and "de-radicalise" them, Mudavadi said.

Public pressure has also grown. In February, families of Kenyans believed to be fighting in Ukraine held a protest outside parliament in Nairobi, calling for government action and the return of their relatives.

During his visit to Moscow, Mudavadi also intends to negotiate an agreement allowing Kenyans easier access to the Russian job market.

"We do not want for any reason our partnership with Russia to be defined from the lenses of the special operation [in Ukraine] agenda only," he said. "The relationship between Kenya and Russia is much more broader than that."

Ukrainian intelligence assessment estimates that more than 1,700 people from 36 countries in Africa have been recruited to fight for Russia.

Ukraine has also previously come in for criticism for trying to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its side.