The Kenya National Intelligence Service (NIS) has revealed that over 1,000 Kenyans have been trafficked by rogue agencies to join fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.
A joint report by the DCI and NIS presented to Parliament exposed how unscrupulous recruiters lure young Kenyans with promises of high-paying jobs.
Recently, reports have been made on Kenyans being secretly recruited to fight in the Russian war, some of them reported killed.
Also Read: Kenyan Ex-Prisons Officer Reportedly Killed on Frontlines of Russian-Ukraine War
Ichung’wa Warns Recruitment Agencies
Speaking in the parliament, majority leader Kimani Ichun’wa has stated that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) uncovered a syndicate involving immigration officers, security agencies, and even diplomatic officials.
“There has been collusion between officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation, the Directorate of Immigration Services, and the National Employment Authority,” stated Kimani.
The lawmaker has warned that the individuals involved must be held accountable on twhat he referred to as human trafficking.
The ministries concerned must be able to pinpoint who these particular officers are and hold them to account. Government offices are not to be used for criminal activities,” he added.
Ichung’wa has called on the Kenyan ambassador in Moscow to be able to identify individuals involved in facilitating the rogue activities.
“Our ambassador in Moscow must be able to identify the officers within the embassy that may have colluded with these criminals. Our embassy must be beyond reproach. It must be the place where Kenyans can seek refuge, not exploitation,” stated Ichung’wa.
According to Ichung’wa, more than 1,000 Kenyans have been lured by the officials, promising them security jobs with high pay, only to be recruited to the army for only three weeks.
“They are told you are going to work as a guard… only to get to those countries and you are taken to military camps; you are only trained for three weeks. They are basically just giving you a gun to go and die,” he claimed.
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NIS and DCI Probes Russia Recruitment Scam
According to the report, bank accounts linked to key suspects have been frozen and passports, contracts of the recruitment found as evidence.
victims were found to have paid more than Ksh.1.6 million as recruitment fees, with the key suspects of the alleged probe under investigation
Ichung’wah has urged job seekers to verify foreign employment offers through licensed recruitment agencies, warning that the rogue recruiters are taking advantage of desperate Kenyans.
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