Family seeks answers as Kenyan fighting for Russia killed in Ukraine
A Kenyan family is seeking answers and support to repatriate the body of their 29-year-old relative, killed in Ukraine while fighting for Russia.
Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, 29, initially left Kenya to work in Qatar in 2024, and his family later learned that he then traveled to Russia.
On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities announced that he had died in a so-called “meat attack” – which left many victims – in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, after being recruited in Qatar. They said the Russians had not evacuated his body and that he was carrying the passports of two other Kenyans.
His death comes amid growing concerns over the recruitment of Kenyans to fight in Ukraine’s war.
Mogesa’s family told local Citizen television that they had sold land to raise funds to enable them to travel to Qatar in search of work.
“His death shocked us,” his brother Joel Mogere told the station. He said Mogesa was the last born and “the breadwinner and hope of this family”.
Her mother, Mellen Moraa, said she was diabetic and her son paid for her medication and took care of her, and said she didn’t know what to do.
“I am asking the government for help,” she added.
The government said last month that 18 Kenyans fighting in Russia had been rescued and repatriated.
Last November, Kenya’s foreign minister said that around 200 Kenyans were fighting for Russia and that recruitment networks were still active.
Other African countries have reported cases of young people being offered lucrative jobs in Russia, which then led to military recruitment.
Ukrainian intelligence estimates that more than 1,400 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight alongside Russia.
Ukraine has repeatedly warned in the past that anyone fighting for Russia would be treated as an enemy combatant, with the only safe path being to surrender.
Ukrainian intelligence services on Saturday advised foreign nationals against traveling to Russia or accepting employment there, particularly informal or illegal work.
The document states that traveling there “carries a real risk of being forcibly deployed into assault units without adequate training and with little or no chance of survival.”
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