Kenya, Russia Agree to End Recruitment of Kenyans into Military - March 2026

Kenya and Russia have reached an agreement to halt the recruitment of Kenyan citizens for military operations, as announced by Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a joint press conference in Moscow on Monday, March 16. Kenyan citizens are no longer permitted to enlist in Russia's military operations following this agreement, with Prime Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi stating that support would be provided to Kenyans in Russia requiring assistance through legal channels. Kenya has dispatched a high-level delegation to Moscow in an urgent effort to repatriate Kenyan citizens reportedly caught up in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. African nations are adopting a cautious approach to the recruitment of their citizens by Russian networks for the war in Ukraine, balancing domestic pressure with foreign policy considerations.