Inside the trafficking network forcing Kenyans into war

The shock and grief gripping Kenyan families continues to deepen as more details emerge about how young men are being deceived into travelling to Russia—only to be trafficked, forced into combat, or disappear without a trace.

22-year-old David Kuloba was surviving on odd jobs in his small town in Kenya. Then a recruitment agency led David to believe he had finally secured the opportunity he’d been waiting for. They promised him a security job in Russia with a payout of over $7,000 on arrival, a life-changing prospect.

But when David told his mother where he was headed, she expressed concern and pleaded for him not to go. Despite her concerns, David travelled abroad in August. When he finally contacted her, he sent a photo of himself in full combat gear. Not the security guard uniform she was expecting.

Promised work, forced into war

According to David, the job he had been promised had “changed.” The BBC reports that he and a group of other Kenyan recruits had been given only two weeks of combat training before being sent to fight in Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. Within days, he reported that his unit had been ambushed.

Then came the last message: a voice note sent on 4 October, in which he told his mother that he was heading into battle and might not survive. He gave her his Russian military ID and said that if anything happened, she should take the documents to the Russian embassy.

That was the final time she heard from him.

A pattern of deception

This heartbreaking account echoes the concerns raised in recent intelligence-led raids in Nairobi, where 22 people found “awaiting processing to Russia” were suspected of being victims of a trafficking ring.

David’s story is not an isolated case. Another Kenyan father described how his son was recruited under the belief he would be working as a driver. When he returned home, he was wounded, traumatized, and unable to speak about his experience.

Reportedly, Kenya’s foreign ministry estimates that around 200 Kenyans may already be fighting in Russia, with recruitment networks still active. Authorities have suspended several agency licences, and others remain under investigation. Still, families say the response is too slow.

Sadly, the crisis extends far beyond Kenya:

The authorities in several African countries have reported cases of young people being approached with offers of lucrative jobs in Russia that later led to military recruitment.

Many families are reluctant to speak publicly, fearing stigma or uncertainty about the legal implications for their relatives abroad.

Young men like David are being recruited through deception, transported across borders, and coerced into roles they never agreed to. Promises of high-paying security or driving jobs conceal the true intent—forced conscription into a foreign war. Once in Russia, recruits have little understanding of the contracts they’ve signed, no safe way to leave, and face grave danger on the battlefield. This combination of fraudulent recruitment, exploitation, and inability to freely withdraw is precisely what constitutes human trafficking.