Russia has confirmed that it will no longer recruit Kenyans into military operations,.
This follows an agreement between the two countries.
The new development was announced by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a joint press conference with Russian officials in Moscow on Monday, March 16, 2026.
During the press conference, the Prime CS said that the Kenyan government engaged with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two nations agreed to cap the recruitment of Kenyans to join the Russian military.
“The second point I want to address is to confirm that His Excellency has discussed with us the welfare of Kenyans in Russia, including those involved in military operations. I want to make it clear that we have agreed that Kenyans will no longer be enlisted for special operations through the Defence Ministry,” Mudavadi said.
Kenya and Russia end controversial military recruitment in Russia
“Ladies and gentlemen, we do not want, for any reason, our partnership to be undermined by special operations. The relationship between Kenya and Russia is far deeper than that. We believe we have now found common ground, and opportunities for engagement have been properly offered through official channels,” he added.
According to reports, Kenyans allegedly found themselves on the Russia-Ukraine frontlines primarily through a sophisticated, fraudulent recruitment network that exploited economic hardship, promising legitimate civilian jobs in Russia before coercing them into military contracts.
However, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, dismissed the claims and clarified that those recruited were aware of the implications of joining a foreign military.
The Minister also added that foreigners who wanted to opt out of the contract were offered a path to do so through the Russian Ministry of Defence.
