Families plead with State to bring back their sons fighting in Russia-Ukraine war

Families from various villages in Kilgoris Constituency in Narok are crying out for assistance in repatriating their loved ones who were lured to Russia.

Solomon Lemayan of Enenkeshui village said his son Billy Ledama left home on October 20, last year, to work as a driver in Turkey but was taken to Russia and forced into military service.

“I was shocked when he sent me pictures wearing a military uniform,” Lemayan said, appealing for government intervention.

Ledama’s wife, Perin Ledama, said she was struggling to take care of their three children.

In Nkoiriento village, Emilly Korinko recounted how her son Erick Lebunge, 27, left in July, 2025, to seek better opportunities in Russia but ended up in the military. “He called me in August saying he had been drafted into the military fighting. I don’t know what we’re fighting for,” she said.

She received news of her son’s death through a local politician. “I was shocked when people told me my son had died,” Korinko said, pleading for help to repatriate her son’s body.

In Naronyo village, Dorcas Chepkemoi, 25, anxiously awaits news of her husband, who left on December 12, last year.

“The last time I spoke to him, he said they’d been drafted into the mercenary forces. I haven’t heard from him since,” she said.

The two are among 15 young men from the constituency who were lured to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine. Most of the young men are from Meguarra village.

“They forged military retirement certificates and sent them to the Russian embassy, and on their arrival, they were received as ex-military in Kenya. Several were promised driver jobs in Turkey. Still, they ended up finding themselves in the Russia-Ukraine war after one month of training, and since then, we have had no communication with them,” Lemayan said.

SOme of the other young men are Maxwell Kipchumba, Nickson Lemayian, Danson Lemashon Nkeyua, Kelvin Ledama Mopes, Rauta Olemeseyieki, Daniel Lerionka Rotich, Leshan Seitai, Kelvin Lemashon, Leparakwo Seitai, and Ben Kibiwott Ololjurusi.

Recently, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia  Mudavadi said Kenyans who go to fight for Russia in the war against Ukraine would be granted amnesty on their return home.

The announcement follows a recent visit to Moscow to tackle the issue, and it was agreed that no more Kenyans would be recruited. But Russia failed to acknowledge responsibility. 

Under Kenya’s laws, it is illegal for the country’s citizens to be conscripted into foreign armies, an offence that can carry up to a 10-year prison sentence.

The Foreign Affairs ministry estimates that 252 Kenyans have been illegally conscripted to fight on the front line. 

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 - often signing contracts in Russian without understanding what was involved.

“So far, 44 Kenyans have been safely repatriated back home, while 11 have been reported missing in action/killed in action, 38 are currently hospitalised in various Russian hospitals under restricted access, leaving 160 Kenyans officers still actively involved,” Mudavadi said.

Mudavadi also negotiated a deal that allowed Kenyans currently on the front line and “unwilling to continue in the assignment" to disengage and be freed to travel back home.

Moscow had already agreed to put Kenya on what it called a “stop list” to prevent further recruitment.

Russia has previously insisted that all foreign fighters joined voluntarily in full compliance with Russian law.

Mudavadi’s trip to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, followed growing public pressure from the relatives of those who had travelled to Russia,, calling on the Kenyan government to take action.

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