Kenya has documented 84 of its citizens as either killed or missing in action during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi told lawmakers.
Speaking before a joint Senate committee on labour and defence on Thursday, Mudavadi, who also serves as the country's prime cabinet secretary, revealed that a total of 354 Kenyan nationals have been recorded as involved in the conflict.
Providing a detailed breakdown of these figures, Mudavadi explained that 77 Kenyans are currently on the front lines, while 38 are stationed in military camps. Another 52 individuals are estimated to be in unknown or unclassified locations. Among the remaining cases, 34 Kenyans have been hospitalized, 62 have been repatriated, five are identified as prisoners of war, one is detained, and one has successfully completed a military contract.
The Foreign Minister noted that many families only contact Kenyan authorities after they lose touch with their relatives in Russia, which severely hinders government efforts to track their locations. He urged families to contact the department as early as possible. The tracking process involves the State Department for Diaspora Affairs gathering identification and travel details before passing the cases to the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow for official verification.
Mudavadi highlighted that during his official visit to Moscow in March 2026, he secured Kenya's inclusion on a Russian military recruitment "stop list" aimed at halting further enlistment of Kenyan nationals. The Kenyan Embassy in Moscow has since confirmed that no new Kenyan citizens have been recruited into the military operation since the list was implemented.
For those already enlisted, Russian authorities are reviewing requests to terminate military contracts on an individual basis, with final decisions left to individual military unit commanders. Furthermore, Russia's defense ministry has declined to cover the costs associated with returning the remains of deceased Kenyans. Consequently, Nairobi is negotiating directly with Russian authorities and affected families regarding burial, cremation, or repatriation arrangements.
Beyond its dealings with Russia, Kenya is also engaging with Ukrainian authorities via its embassy in Vienna, which is accredited to Ukraine, to address the status of Kenyan nationals detained during the conflict. The Senate committee continues to investigate the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian military and the ongoing efforts to locate and repatriate those affected.
