Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Korir Sing'Oei has revealed that at least four Kenyans are being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine and were allegedly fighting for Russia.
Taking to social media on Saturday, September 20, in response to a BBC article highlighting the plight of a Kenyan held as a POW in Ukraine, the PS said that the Ministry, through the Mission in Moscow, was already on the case.
"We are keenly following information on three or four Kenyans allegedly trafficked to Russia and currently held as POWs by Ukraine," the PS stated.
"We shall provide additional information. In the meantime, we assure the families that our Mission in Moscow and our teams at HQ are pursuing the matter with all diligence."
It is unclear how the four Kenyans found their way to the war-torn country and what role, if any, the government played in facilitating their travel. However, one case has opened the veil on a scam that led to him being lured into war.
Just three days ago, a video was released of a Kenyan citizen, identified as Evans Kibet, being interviewed while in Ukraine, begging his captors not to send him back to Russia.
Kibet, an aspiring athlete, told his interviewers that he had been duped into joining the Russian army when he was offered a job by an unidentified man, only to find out after arriving in Russia that he had signed up for the military.
"I ended up in Russia without knowing that I had been enlisted in the Russian army. I had never served before. I did not go to Russia for that,” Kibet said in the video shared by Kiev Independent.
"I did not know I was being signed up for the Russian army because I have never been in the military and I have never wanted a military job."
Kibet revealed that the person who had received him in Russia had asked him if he wanted to stay, upon which he said he could do something to make it happen.
He recalled being encouraged to sign some documents to facilitate the same, after which the man confiscated his travel and identity documents and his phone. Moments later, unidentified people came and took him away.
"After I signed, he took my passport and phone, saying he would return them. From that moment on, other people came for me. They told me to get in the car," he revealed.
He was then taken to a military training centre where he underwent basic training before he was deployed to the main military camp, describing the place as chaotic.
Due to the unfavourable conditions, Evans claimed that he fled to the Ukrainian soldiers, who gave him food and water.
On Saturday, September 20, the Ukrainian government said it is open to having a conversation with President William Ruto's administration on the possibility of repatriating Kibet, but would continue to detain him as a prisoner of war per the Geneva Convention unless the court overturns the decision.
