Africa-Press – Kenya. Democracy for Citizens Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto and Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua of misleading Kenyan youth into travelling to Russia under the promise of employment, only for them to end up in active conflict zones.
Speaking at a dowry ceremony in Nyeri on Saturday, Gachagua claimed that young Kenyans were told they were being sent to Russia to work in factories as drivers, but upon arrival were instead forced to war.
He further added that those affected were neither trained for combat nor prepared for the harsh conditions they encountered.
“We are feeling pain because Ruto lied to our children by promising them jobs,” Gachagua stated. “They were told they were going to work in factories and drive vehicles, but when they reached Russia, they were told to go to war.”
The former DP further alleged that the Kenyans are being exposed to extreme danger, including freezing weather, bombs, and gunfire, leading to deaths. He added that some of the bodies never return home, leaving families without closure.
“Our children are dying because of cold weather, bombs, and bullets,” he stated. “Some come back as corpses. Others never come back at all, and families are forced to conduct mock burials”
He urged the government to immediately facilitate the return of all Kenyans who, he said, were misled into travelling under false pretences, insisting they should be brought back alive and endure hardship at home with their families rather than return in coffins.
On Friday, February 6, the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence confirmed the recovery of the bodies of two Kenyan nationals, Ombwori Denis Bagaka and Wahome Simon Gititu, who were killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with their remains found near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region.
The two were identified using passports and personal documents discovered at the scene, close to the body of another Kenyan, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, who had been killed earlier in the same area.
Ukrainian authorities said all three men were recruited in Qatar under the promise of stable, well-paying security-related jobs, before travelling to Russia, undergoing brief training, and being deployed to the Donbas region for assault operations.
Intelligence reports indicate the Kenyans were sent into a heavily fortified combat zone during an advance on Lyman, where they were killed, with Russian forces reportedly failing to provide support or evacuate their bodies after the battle.
