Five Kenyan nationals are being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine, while the remains of four other Kenyans are in Ukrainian custody.
Appearing before the Senate, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi responded to a parliamentary petition on the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian army and the detention of Kenyan nationals in Ukraine.
According to Mudavadi, the Embassy of Ukraine in Vienna notified Kenya through a Note Verbale dated September 3, 2026, that five Kenyan nationals were being held as prisoners of war.
The five are Kibet Evans, detained since May 2025; Macharia Willi Muniu, detained since November 2025; Haron Kibet Pachenge, detained since March 2026; Joseph, detained since April 2026; and Ndarua Ndungu Francis.
State Department for Diaspora Affairs engaged the Kenyan Embassy in Vienna to follow up on the welfare and detention of the Kenyans.
The mission engaged the Embassy of Ukraine in Vienna and Kenya’s Honorary Consul in Ukraine to establish the condition of the detainees.
The Honorary Consul visited the Zakhid 1 prisoner-of-war camp and reported that the Kenyan nationals were being held in humane conditions.
Mudavadi said the detainees had access to medical services and were being treated in accordance with international rules governing the treatment of prisoners of war.
However, he said several Kenyans held as prisoners of war had reported being recruited under false promises of employment before being conscripted into the Russian military.
The government has proposed that the affected Kenyans be considered victims of international human trafficking as Kenya pursues their repatriation.
It said such a designation could improve their access to assistance, citing the circumstances surrounding their recruitment and conscription.
“The circumstances of their recruitment and conscription are consistent with trafficking in persons as defined under Article 3(a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Palermo Protocol),” Mudavadi said.
In his response, Mudavadi revealed that the remains of four other Kenyan nationals are being held in Ukrainian custody, according to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence.
The four are Simon Gitau, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, Dennis Bagaka Obwori and Eric Mwangi Nyambura.
Musalia said Russian authorities had informed it that the Russian Defence Ministry was unable to meet the cost of repatriating the remains of deceased Kenyan nationals.
The government said it was therefore continuing to engage Russian authorities and the affected families to facilitate burial, cremation or repatriation arrangements on a case-by-case basis.
President William Ruto personally raised the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call.
Kenya is also pursuing the accreditation of its ambassador to Ukraine as part of efforts to strengthen diplomatic intervention and follow-up on the affected nationals.
Kyiv had already issued the agreement for the ambassador, paving the way for Nairobi to issue the Letters of Credence.
Nairobi continues to pursue the welfare, release, and repatriation of the affected Kenyans through diplomatic channels, including engagement with Ukrainian authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“The Ministry will continue to engage the affected families and apprise the Committee as further verified information becomes available,” added Mudavadi.