Kenya has recorded 84 of its nationals as killed or missing in the Russia-Ukraine war, while 62 others have been repatriated, Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi told lawmakers on Thursday.
Speaking before a joint Senate committee on labour and defence, Mudavadi said authorities had documented 354 Kenyans involved in the conflict, including 77 believed to be serving on the front lines.
Another 38 were reported to be in military camps, while the whereabouts or status of 52 others remained unclear.
Mudavadi said 34 Kenyans had been hospitalised, five were being held as prisoners of war, one was detained, and another had completed a military contract.
The foreign minister, who also serves as prime cabinet secretary, said efforts to trace missing citizens were being complicated by delays in reporting cases, with some families contacting authorities only after losing communication with relatives in Russia.
He urged affected families to provide identification and travel information to Kenya’s State Department for Diaspora Affairs, which coordinates verification efforts through the country’s embassy in Moscow.
Russia agrees to halt Kenyan recruitment
Mudavadi said diplomatic talks during his visit to Moscow in March 2026 had secured Kenya’s inclusion on a Russian military recruitment stop list, aimed at preventing further enlistment of Kenyan citizens.
According to the minister, Kenya’s embassy in Moscow had confirmed that no additional nationals had been recruited into Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine since the arrangement took effect.
However, efforts to secure the release of Kenyans already serving in Russian military units remain complicated.
Mudavadi said Russian authorities were reviewing requests to terminate military contracts individually, with final decisions resting with military commanders.
He also revealed that Russia’s Defence Ministry had refused to finance the repatriation of the remains of Kenyans killed during the conflict.
Nairobi is consequently negotiating arrangements for burials, cremations or the return of remains in consultation with Russian officials and affected families.
Kenya is separately engaging Ukrainian authorities through its embassy in Vienna to address the cases of Kenyan nationals captured or detained during the fighting.
The Senate inquiry is examining how Kenyans were recruited into Russia’s military, the circumstances surrounding their deployment and the government’s efforts to secure the return of those still caught up in the war.
