Kenyan authorities have charged a man accused of deceiving young men with promises of overseas employment and sending them to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Festus Arasa Omwamba, 33, the head of recruitment agency Global Faces Human Resources, is accused of recruiting at least 22 Kenyans “for the purpose of exploitation by means of deception,” according to Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Prosecutors said the victims were promised job opportunities in Russia but instead faced deployment to the front lines in Ukraine. Twenty-two men were rescued in September from an apartment complex in Athi River, near the capital Nairobi, before they could leave the country.
Three others had already travelled to Russia and were later sent into combat, returning to Kenya with injuries, prosecutors added. Omwamba has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Authorities said Omwamba was arrested earlier this month near Kenya’s border with Ethiopia after surrendering to police.
Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a report released last week that as many as 1,000 Kenyans may have been recruited to fight for Russia since the start of the conflict. Presenting the report to parliament, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah described the network behind the recruitment as “deeply disturbing,” alleging collusion between rogue officials and human trafficking syndicates.
Police said the rescued victims had signed contracts with an unnamed overseas employment agency and were required to pay up to $18,000 for visas, travel, accommodation and other related costs.
According to the NIS, many Kenyans who arrive in Russia reportedly receive minimal military training before being deployed to front-line combat roles.
Earlier this month, the Kenyan government said it would formally urge Russia to ban the recruitment of Kenyan nationals to fight in Ukraine.
The Russian embassy in Nairobi has denied encouraging Kenyans to join the war or issuing visas for that purpose. It said that while Russia does not actively recruit foreigners, its laws allow foreign nationals legally present in the country to voluntarily enlist in the armed forces.
Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that more than 1,700 Africans from 36 countries have been recruited to fight for Russia. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that foreign fighters will be treated as enemy combatants and have urged them to surrender as prisoners of war.
Ukraine has previously faced criticism over efforts to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its own side of the conflict.