- Many Kenyan families have been left devastated, with their sons missing or confirmed dead after being illegally recruited to join the Russian-Ukrainian war.
- Vincent Ndung’u is among the lucky few who managed to escape and return home from Russia
- He shared the horrifying voicemail his friend in the battlefield sent him and told how he managed to escape with the help of a taxi driver
Several Kenyans have been tricked and illegally recruited to fight in Russia’s war with Ukraine instead of a large payment.
Source: Youtube
This illegal recruitment has left many families traumatized, their sons lost in Russia with no way of knowing their whereabouts. Others have received news of their children’s deaths, forcing some families to hold fake funerals without the bodies of their sons.
However, a few who went to the war-torn country have been able to return home safely to share their horrific experiences.
How did a man from Gatundu go to Russia?
One of those Kenyans is 34-year-old Vincet Ndung’u from Kimunyu village in Gatundu South, Kiambu county.
Ndung’u tearfully recounted how he traveled to Russia a month ago, but narrowly escaped and returned home. He explained that he first heard about the recruitment on 6 December 2025 through a friend.
For the father of three, the offer seemed irresistible, as he was struggling to provide for his family, taking odd jobs just to get a decent meal.
The contract promised him, and a friend from a neighboring village, a bonus of KSh 1.6 million and a monthly salary of KSh 300,000 after completing the training. The lucrative offer got him sold without asking any further questions.
“I did the math and realized that when I finish my one-year contract, I would have enough to be satisfied. I started planning the trip without informing my family because I knew if I told my mother, she wouldn’t let me go. But she was skeptical,” he shared.
Ndung’u said his documents were ready within a day, and he left the country with five other Kenyans who had also been promised a large salary.
“The authorities were involved because our registration was good, unlike other travelers. You submitted your documents and were directed to another office,” he recalled.
Immediately after arriving in Russia, Ndung’u and others were taken to an accommodation center while they waited to be taken to the training grounds. There, they met 11 other Kenyans.
While at the station, Ndung’u received a message from his friend Kanyago, who had put him in touch with a recruitment agency, which made him feel cold.
How did Vincent Ndung’u’s friend and the taxi driver help him escape the war?
Kanyago warned him against continuing training and deployment, urging him to find a way out.
“People are dying here. I am the one who told you to come here to earn money, but please, just leave it alone. There is no point in all of us dying here,” the message said.
In fear, Ndung’u and another man from Gatundu managed to escape from the shelter with the help of a taxi driver.
The two were hosted by a good Samaritan for seven days before arranging a plane ticket back to Kenya.
Why was a Kenyan hospitalized in Russia?
In other news, TUKO.co.ke reported that Denis Mokaya asked the Kenyan government to help him return home.
Also read
A Kisumu photographer who responded to a ‘customer’ call was found dead several days later
Mokaya said he traveled to a foreign country with the promise of sanitation work, but was forced to join the army.
While on duty, he was seriously injured in a drone attack and hospitalized. He claimed that he was tricked into joining the war.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
