Failed mission: Mudavadi returns from Moscow empty-handed

When Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi boarded a flight to Moscow on Sunday, he carried the hopes of hundreds of Kenyan families whose sons had been lured into the Russia–Ukraine war with false promises of lucrative jobs.

By the time he touches down in Nairobi in the next few hours, those families will again be left asking the same questions he was expected to answer after meeting Russian Foreign Affairs officials led by Sergei Lavrov in the Russian capital.

He was expected to have sealed agreements that would see hundreds of Kenyans, either recruited as mercenaries or tricked into joining Russia’s war against Ukraine, return home.

The bodies of those killed on the battlefields of the Donbas and Zaporizhzhia regions were also expected to be repatriated for decent burials by their loved ones.

Instead, a gloomy-faced Mudavadi posed for a photo-op with Lavrov after the Russian official told journalists that Moscow was not responsible for contracts signed by Kenyans and could therefore not be held accountable, even though the Kenyans had been co-opted into Russia’s national army.

Mudavadi had billed the mission as a rescue operation, with “talks to locate and free Kenyans who were clandestinely recruited and deployed to fight in Ukraine” top of the agenda.

His office had also announced, in a dispatch before departure, that he would return with commitments from Russia to stop recruiting Kenyans going forward. But no concrete plan was agreed to bring home those already fighting or to repatriate the bodies of those killed.

It also appears he sought Russia’s help to transport injured Kenyans back home, but even that was rejected by Lavrov. Those wounded must navigate contract termination procedures before they can leave.

A detailed analysis of the outcomes of the two-day visit suggests that very little, if anything, was achieved, raising questions about whether the same could have been handled from the comfort of his Nairobi office.

Prof Peter Kagwanja says Mudavadi’s move reveals the government’s helplessness, desperation, and deep flaws in its diplomacy.

“The government needed to pay attention to the origin of the problem as opposed to the reactionary move. Repatriation happens when someone has done something illegal or if someone is not in another country legally, which is not the case for Kenyans working in Russia,” said Kagwanja, adding that it does not apply to Kenyans who were tricked into going there.

He also argues that if Kenyans were working in supermarkets or gas stations, leaders would have happily taken credit, “but they now want to engage in diplomacy in futility.”

Seek repatriation

“The government wants to save face. Many Kenyans are working in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Mozambique, either as military and security officers, but we don’t see the government rushing there to seek repatriation,” said Kagwanja.

He argues that Mudavadi ought to have conducted a feasibility study, developed a clear modus operandi, and explained to Kenyans exactly what is happening.

From the look of things, Mudavadi appears to have capitulated to the seasoned Russian diplomat, scoring zero points in a situation where he should have demanded more answers on how the Kenyans ended up on the front line.

A National Intelligence Service report presented to Parliament in February revealed that more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia since the war began. Of these, 89 remain on the front lines, 39 are hospitalised with injuries, 28 are missing in action, and 35 are in training camps. Two Kenyans are confirmed prisoners of war in Ukraine.

Some of the fighters are former Kenya Defence Forces soldiers, police officers, National Youth Service graduates, and young civilians in their mid-20s who were promised well-paying jobs abroad. Instead, they received just nine days of military training before being handed weapons and sent to the battlefield.

“They are basically given a gun and sent to die,” National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah told lawmakers while presenting the intelligence report.

Ukrainian intelligence has confirmed the deaths of at least three Kenyans near the city of Lyman in Donetsk: Ombwori Denis Bagaka, Wahome Simon Gititu, and Clinton Nyapara Mogesa. Their bodies remain abroad, and Mudavadi returned without any firm commitment from Moscow on their repatriation.

During his meeting with Lavrov on Monday, Mudavadi announced that Russia had agreed to place Kenya on a “stop list” to prevent future recruitment of Kenyan nationals. He also secured promises of consular access for Kenyans in hospitals and the dignified repatriation of remains “through appropriate diplomatic channels.”

Prof Macharia Munene says Mudavadi’s visit, in his capacity as Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and being seen talking with Lavrov as if he were his equal, was a positive move.

“But if he expected that his counterpart would admit liability, that would have been stretching it too far and would have been naive,” Munene said.

He adds that Mudavadi’s trip was largely symbolic and deserves credit for securing Russia’s agreement to stop the recruitment of additional Kenyans into its army.

Russian officials made it clear that Kenyans currently fighting cannot simply pack their bags and leave. Lavrov said that all Kenyans signed contracts voluntarily and must formally terminate them with the Ministry of Defence before any repatriation can take place.

“There is no provision for repatriation in the contracts,” Lavrov said bluntly. “When the contracts are effective, they can terminate this contract, but this is done under the Ministry of Defence.”