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 the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Committee, chaired by Hon. Ken Chonga (Kilifi South) questioned the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Labour and Skills Development, Mr Shadrack Mwadime on how Kenyans found themselves entangled in the conflict.
“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?” Chonga posed during the session.
The concerns follow a report tabled in the House by the Leader of the Majority Party, Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah, which implicated officials from several government agencies. These agencies included the National Employment Authority (NEA) and were alleged to have colluded in facilitating the travel of Kenyans to Russia under the guise of labour migration.
In recent months, reports of young Kenyans being recruited as fighters in Russia’s war against Ukraine, under the pretext of overseas job opportunities, have sparked national outrage. Lawmakers termed the matter a growing crisis that demands urgent government intervention.
Appearing before the committee during deliberations on the 2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), PS Mwadime expressed deep concern over the developments and regretted the loss of Kenyan lives on foreign battlefronts.
“These young people are falling prey to unscrupulous recruitment agencies,” Mwadime told the committee. “They travel to Russia on visitor visas, only to end up trapped in dangerous situations.”
He maintained that legitimate labour migration programmes processed through official government channels and Kenyan embassies abroad are structured to ensure safe, dignified and legally protected employment opportunities.
Members of Parliament, however, pressed the PS on what concrete measures the ministry is taking to weed out rogue agencies accused of exporting unsuspecting Kenyans to risky working conditions in foreign countries, including parts of the Middle East.
The committee also heard that the State Department is grappling with significant budgetary constraints that largely undermine effective execution of its mandate.
The lawmakers indicated they would pursue further investigations into the alleged collusion and called for stronger enforcement mechanisms to protect Kenyan job seekers from exploitation abroad.
