Russia has agreed to stop recruiting Kenyans into its armed forces, President William Ruto said after talks with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on 29 October, at the close of the Russia–Africa summit in Moscow. Kenya will be treated as a “non-source country” for recruitment and will post a defence attaché in Moscow to arrange the return of Kenyans and compensation for families. The two governments also signed five memoranda, including on an economic commission and labour, and Russia will raise yearly scholarships for Kenyan students from 70 to 300. The pledge gives Nairobi a formal channel to press Moscow over its citizens, while a planned labour deal would open a legal route for Kenyan workers to Russia.
Sources
- Citizen Digital: https://citizen.digital/article/ruto-putin-agree-to-stop-recruitment-of-kenyans-into-russian-military-n393071
- Kenya Broadcasting Corporation: https://www.kbc.co.ke/ruto-putin-agree-to-halt-recruitment-of-kenyans-into-russian-military/
- Mwakilishi: https://mwakilishi.com/news/2026-10-30/moscow-agrees-to-stop-recruiting-kenyans-as-ruto-secures-bilateral-pacts