Arrest on the town close to the Ethiopian border follows Kenyan intelligence report revealing greater than 1,000 residents have been trafficked for struggle.
Revealed On 26 Feb 2026
Police in Kenya have arrested a person accused of being a member of a human trafficking scheme that lured Kenyans to Russia with false guarantees of labor, just for them to finish up combating on the entrance traces of Ukrainian battlefields.
In a press release launched late on Wednesday, Kenyan officers mentioned Festus Arasa Omwamba was being detained in Moyale, a city within the nation’s north bordering Ethiopia.
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The 33-year-old “is believed to be a key participant in a extra intensive human trafficking syndicate that exploits weak people by promising them reputable employment alternatives in European international locations”, learn a press release from the Directorate of Felony Investigations on X. “Nevertheless, upon arrival, these unsuspecting victims discover themselves trapped in unlawful and threatening jobs, stripping them of their dignity and security.”
The suspect was in police custody, present process preparation for his “impending” court docket look, it added.
Quoting police spokesperson Michael Muchiri, NTV Kenya reported that Omwamba was arrested after arriving from Russia. He was detained for allegedly recruiting Kenyans into the Russian army, Muchiri mentioned.
The arrest comes after Kenya’s Nationwide Intelligence Service (NIS) final week unveiled a report which mentioned greater than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited “to combat within the Russia-Ukraine struggle”, with 89 at present on the entrance line, 39 hospitalised, and 28 lacking in motion.
A day after the NIS launched its report, dozens of families protested in Nairobi, demanding the federal government take motion towards the community of officers and syndicates tricking locals into becoming a member of the struggle. Many are nonetheless awaiting information about their family members’ whereabouts and after they may return.
In the meantime, different households are grieving the deaths of their sons and brothers.
The Russian embassy in Nairobi denies the allegations, calling them in a press release final week “deceptive propaganda”. It added that it by no means issued visas to Kenyan residents who sought to journey to Russia with the purpose to combat in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the embassy added that Moscow doesn’t preclude residents of overseas international locations from voluntarily enlisting in its armed forces.
Kenya’s Overseas Minister Musalia Mudavadi mentioned he would journey to Russia in March to have interaction straight with the authorities and safe a secure return of Kenyans believed to be stranded there.
Fraudulent ‘schemes’ to lure overseas fighters
Reviews of African males being fraudulently recruited and wilfully duped for work overseas to finish up on the entrance traces in Ukraine have additionally surfaced from South Africa, Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa.
Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of utilizing deception to recruit greater than 1,700 Africans to affix its struggle effort because the battle drags into a fifth year.
Ukrainian Overseas Minister Andrii Sybiha made the allegation throughout a information convention in Kyiv together with his visiting Ghanaian counterpart, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. He accused Moscow of utilizing fraudulent “schemes” to lure the overseas fighters.
A day earlier, South Africa’s presidency announced it had secured the return home of 11 of its nationals who have been “lured” into combating for Russia in Ukraine. The presidency had already repatriated 4 others.
