354 Kenyans missing after joining Russian war, Mudavadi tells Senate
Prime and Foreign CS Musalia Mudavadi appears before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations on April 29, 2025. PHOTO | OPCS
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At least 354 Kenyans remain unaccounted for after travelling to Russia and joining the ongoing war against Ukraine, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has told the Senate.
Appearing before a joint Senate committee on Labour and Defence on Thursday, October 8, 2026, Mudavadi revealed that 62 Kenyans have so far been repatriated, as the government continues efforts to trace those whose whereabouts remain unknown.
However, petitioners appearing before the committee disputed the government's figures, claiming that 841 Kenyans remain unaccounted for.
Mudavadi said the government could not establish whether those reported missing were dead or alive, explaining that authorities must classify them as missing in action until their fate is verified.
"It's because we cannot verify whether the person is dead or not. So we have to use the term missing in action," he told senators.
"Because if we say they are dead, then we are obligated to produce the body. But we don't have that record, so the person is missing in action."
The Prime Cabinet Secretary said efforts to trace the missing Kenyans were complicated by the fact that some had travelled to Russia without informing their families or the Kenyan government.
"Some of the people that we are dealing with left even without informing their own families where they were going, let alone informing the government of Kenya," he said.
"So we are chasing after the event. These are the painful truths. But they are our citizens, we still have to look for them."
Mudavadi acknowledged that Kenya lacks the military capacity to conduct rescue operations in the Russia-Ukraine war zone, leaving diplomatic engagement as the government's primary option.
"Kenya does not have the capacity, militarily, to enter into a war zone, in Russia or Ukraine. So Kenya has got to use diplomatic channels. It's the only way," he said.
He disclosed that the government was engaging Russian and Ukrainian authorities to secure the release of Kenyans captured during the conflict, including pushing for their inclusion in prisoner exchange arrangements.
According to Mudavadi, Kenya is exploring the possibility of negotiating directly with Ukraine or engaging Russia to ensure Kenyan prisoners of war are included in exchanges between the two countries.
He further explained that Kenyans who escape the conflict are being accommodated and fed at the Kenyan embassy in Russia before being assisted with travel arrangements back home.
Mudavadi also cautioned that Section 58 of the Penal Code criminalises enlistment in the armed forces of a foreign government without the consent of the President.
However, he maintained that the government was prioritising the safe return of affected citizens rather than pursuing possible criminal violations arising from their recruitment.
"Our mission is to help as many Kenyans as possible, who may be on the front lines, to come back home. And we really wish that we can have more coming home alive, rather than dead," he said.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary also clarified that contracts signed by Kenyans recruited into the Russian military were private agreements between the individuals and entities in Russia, and did not involve the Kenyan government.
He further revealed that there is currently no dedicated government fund to finance the rescue and repatriation of Kenyans caught up in foreign conflicts.
Mudavadi said a proposed legislative framework seeks to establish a welfare fund, subject to parliamentary approval, to facilitate such interventions in future.
"There is no law, no fund, that is designated for this. And it is Parliament that allocates. So as of now, in the budgetary items, Parliament has not allocated any money for this kind of intervention," he said.
The Senate committee is examining a petition concerning the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian military and the detention of Kenyan nationals in Ukrainian prisons.
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