A man implicated in an alleged scheme that lured Kenyans with promises of skilled work in Russia, only for them to be deployed to the front lines in Ukraine, has been arrested by police in Kenya.
Festus Omwamba was apprehended on suspicion of human trafficking in Moyale, a northern Kenyan town close to the Ethiopian border. He is now being transported to the capital, Nairobi. Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri stated that Omwamba was attempting to flee after returning from Russia.
Omwamba, who was identified by three Kenyan recruits who spoke to The Associated Press, had reportedly vanished after families began protesting the disappearances and deaths of their relatives involved in the conflict.
Last week, the Kenyan government disclosed that over 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Of these, at least 89 remain on the front line, 39 are hospitalised, 28 are missing in action, and others have returned home. At least one fatality has been confirmed.
An intelligence report presented to Kenya’s Parliament by the majority leader, Kimani Ichung’wah, said Kenyan and Russian government officials colluded with rogue job recruitment agencies to lure Kenyans to the front lines.
The Russian Embassy in Nairobi denied the allegations, saying in a statement Thursday that it never issued visas to anyone intending to travel to Russia to fight in Ukraine. It added: “The Russian Federation does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the armed forces.”
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi on Feb. 9 told the AP that he would travel to Russia for what he called a “diplomatic approach to rein in any dubious entities that are taking advantage of anyone in this misadventure.”
Mudavadi added that efforts to secure the release of Kenyans in Ukrainian prisons and repatriate those in Russia were ongoing.
“You recall that even at the highest level, the president made an appeal that if indeed there are Kenyans who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law, the appeal was made to the Ukrainian government to look at how they can be processed and brought back,” the minister explained.
Omwamba’s arrest is a major development in the government’s push to stop the recruitment of Kenyans to fight in Ukraine.
A recruit who escaped from the front line and sought refuge at the Kenyan Embassy in Russia, and was later processed for return home, John Kamau, told the AP he met Omwamba at a house in Nairobi where fellow recruits awaiting travel to Russia were kept.
Another recruit, who requested anonymity for fear of being tracked down by Russians, said Omwamba avoided contacting the recruits by text message and would instead call them or meet them in person.
The recruit had signed up after being told he would get a plumbing job in Russia, but on arrival, his passport was taken away and he was taken to a military camp for a few days before being deployed to the front line.
All recruits said Omwamba oversaw their tourist visa applications and ticket purchases, and two weeks after the first contact, they received visas and traveled to Russia.
