Revealed: How rogue agencies put Kenyans to foreign battlefields

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The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Labour has raised alarm over reports that Kenyan youths have been recruited into the Russian Armed Forces to fight in Ukraine.

The Committee, chaired by Mr Ken Chonga (Kilifi South), pressed Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime on how Kenyans ended up caught in a foreign war.

“I don’t think we have any bilateral labour agreements between Kenya and Ukraine. How then did Kenyans find themselves caught up in recruitment to a war zone?” Mr Chonga asked during the 2026 Budget Policy Statement session.

The concerns follow a report tabled by the Leader of the Majority Party, Mr Kimani Ichung’wah, implicating government agencies, including the National Employment Authority (NEA), in allegedly facilitating travel of Kenyans to Russia under the guise of labour migration.

“These young people are falling prey to unscrupulous recruitment agencies,” said PS Mwadime.

“They travel to Russia on visitor visas, only to end up trapped in dangerous situations.”

Mr Mwadime explained that legitimate labour migration programmes, processed through official channels and Kenyan embassies abroad, are structured to protect job seekers legally and ensure their safety.

MPs pressed the PS further on what concrete steps the ministry is taking to weed out rogue agencies accused of sending unsuspecting Kenyans to risky work, including parts of the Middle East.

The committee also heard that budget constraints limit the State Department’s ability to fully enforce protections.

Lawmakers vowed to pursue further investigations and called for stronger enforcement mechanisms to protect Kenyan youths seeking work abroad.