Kenya warns citizens over fraudulent job offers luring workers to Russia

The Embassy of Kenya in Moscow has raised the alarm over what it described as a growing number of Kenyan nationals travelling to Russia on the promise of lucrative jobs that fail to materialise. The mission warned that some individuals have found themselves in situations where consular assistance is “severely constrained.”

The embassy said it had received “numerous inquiries” from affected individuals and their families regarding employment offers facilitated by unverified agents and online recruiters.

According to the mission, many Kenyans were promised high-paying jobs and residency arrangements in the Russian Federation, only to discover “upon arrival that the positions either did not exist or differed significantly from what had been communicated.”

“Some individuals reported that their passports were withheld and their movement restricted, leaving them subject to conditions beyond their control and limiting access to consular services,” the embassy said.

The advisory highlights the risks of irregular labour migration at a time when increasing numbers of Africans are seeking employment abroad through digital platforms and informal recruitment networks.

The embassy cautioned that where citizens travel through “irregular, unsafe, unverified and informal channels,” its ability to intervene may be limited or delayed. Immediate extraction or repatriation can also prove difficult, particularly where contractual disputes arise or where individuals are subject to local legal and administrative procedures.

However, the embassy stressed that prevention remains the most effective safeguard. It urged Kenyans not to travel for employment arranged through social media platforms, messaging applications or unlicensed agencies, and to verify job offers through the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the foreign ministry, or the Kenyan diplomatic mission prior to departure.

The mission also warned against travelling on tourist visas for employment purposes and advised all Kenyans residing in or travelling to Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to register with the embassy to facilitate consular support if needed.

“Individuals who knowingly bypass government verification procedures may encounter situations where assistance options are severely constrained by local laws,” the statement said.

The advisory comes amid growing reports of Kenyans travelling to Russia either to voluntarily take part in the war in Ukraine as hired mercenaries or as victims of false job offers through rogue employment sites and companies.

Recently, The Washington Post reported that hundreds of Kenyans have reportedly been recruited by the Russian military to fight on the front lines in Ukraine, according to interviews with former recruits and their families. Many have never returned, and survivors described to the Post being misled into joining, often under the guise of civilian or security jobs in Russia, only to be armed and sent into combat. Some recruits were former or active Kenyan soldiers enticed by higher wages, but all described brutal conditions and harrowing experiences in Ukraine.

The report revealed that Russian recruitment in Kenya is more extensive and deadly than previously documented, stretching across the continent. The Washington Post spoke with recruits and family members in several African countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Nigeria, and received anecdotal accounts from eight others. The investigation highlighted a largely unseen African presence in the ongoing conflict, the largest in Europe since World War II.

Interviews with Kenyan veterans and family members revealed that recruits often received minimal training, in unfamiliar languages, before being sent into combat. Survivors described extreme violence, including crossing rivers filled with corpses and encounters with drone strikes. Many recruits did not survive more than a month on the front lines, according to Ukrainian officials.

Those who refused combat faced threats of arrest in Russia, and survivors frequently reported imprisonment or injury without repatriation.

Families told of men lured by promises of civilian work but ultimately forced to sign contracts for frontline service. Salaries were often withheld and bank accounts frozen. Some relatives shared harrowing accounts, including bodies arriving without compensation or communication being cut off entirely.

Survivors described training and deployment in Ukraine, often with inadequate preparation or language support. Many were sent to dangerous front-line positions, witnessing death and severe injury among their peers. Those who returned faced physical and emotional trauma, struggling to find employment or recover from injuries sustained during combat.

The latest notice from the embassy also follows recent remarks by Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi. “The practice is unacceptable and clandestine,” Mudavadi told the BBC.

Mudavadi explained that Kenya’s talks with Russia would centre on tackling unlawful recruitment practices, with attention to revising visa policies and labour agreements that clearly rule out military conscription. He noted that Kenya and Russia have maintained close ties since independence and described the current situation as an unfortunate blemish on what has otherwise been a long history of warm and cooperative relations between the two nations.

Kenyan recruits are part of a broader group of African youth driven by poverty and economic hardship, often ending up in dangerous conflicts far from home.