Police in Kenya have arrested a man at the center of a scheme that lured Kenyans with promises of skilled jobs in Russia, only for them to end up on the front lines in Ukraine.
Festus Omwamba was taken into custody on suspicion of human trafficking in Moyale, a northern town near the Ethiopian border, and is set to be transferred to Nairobi. Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said Omwamba had been on the run after returning from Russia.
Three Kenyan recruits who spoke to The Associated Press (AP) identified Omwamba. He disappeared after families began protesting the mysterious disappearances and deaths of their relatives in Ukraine.
The Kenyan government last week said more than 1,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. At least 89 were still on the front lines, 39 were hospitalized, 28 were missing in action, and others had returned home. At least one person was confirmed dead.
An intelligence report presented to Kenya’s Parliament by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah said Kenyan and Russian officials colluded with rogue 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. “The Russian Federation does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the armed forces,” the statement said.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi told the AP on Feb. 9 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,” he said.
Omwamba’s arrest is a major development in the government’s push to stop the recruitment of Kenyans to fight in Ukraine.
John Kamau, a recruit who escaped from the front line and sought refuge at the Kenyan Embassy in Russia before being repatriated, told the AP he met Omwamba at a house in Nairobi where recruits awaiting travel to Russia were kept.
Another recruit, who requested anonymity for fear of being tracked by Russian authorities, said Omwamba avoided texting recruits and instead called or met them in person.
The recruit said he signed up after being promised a plumbing job in Russia. On arrival, his passport was confiscated, and he was taken to a military camp for several days before being deployed to the front line.
All recruits said Omwamba oversaw their tourist visa applications and ticket purchases. Two weeks after first contact, they received visas and traveled to Russia.
