A Kenyan family is seeking answers and assistance to repatriate the body of a 29-year-old relative who was killed in Ukraine while fighting for Russian forces.
Clinton Nyapara Mogesa left Kenya in 2024 for what he believed was a job opportunity in Qatar. He later informed his family that he was travelling on to Russia. On Saturday, Ukraine’s defence intelligence said Mogesa was killed in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region during what it described as a high-casualty “meat assault”.
Ukrainian officials said Mogesa had been recruited while in Qatar and claimed Russian forces did not evacuate his body. They also said he was found carrying the passports of two other Kenyans.
His death has intensified concerns about young Kenyans being recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine under the guise of overseas employment.
Mogesa’s cousin, Vincent Okemwa, said the family struggled to believe the news when they first heard it. He said the information initially reached Mogesa’s brother through personal contacts before being publicly confirmed.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsday programme, Okemwa said Mogesa had kept in touch with his family after moving from Qatar to Russia and underwent three weeks of training there. The family last spoke to him on 28 October and heard nothing further until news of his death emerged.
Following his death, Okemwa said the family was left devastated. He explained that Mogesa’s father had sold land to fund his son’s move abroad and that Mogesa had been seen as the family’s main hope for financial stability.
“He had good plans for the family, and now everything has been shattered,” he said.
Mogesa’s brother, Joel Mogere, told Kenyan broadcaster Citizen TV that Clinton was the youngest in the family and its main breadwinner. Their mother, Mellen Moraa, said her son had supported her medical care and appealed to the government for help.
Kenya’s government said last month that 18 Kenyans who had been fighting in Russia had been rescued and repatriated. However, rights group Vocal Africa says it is tracking at least 18 cases of Kenyans who are dead or missing, warning the true figure could be higher.
The Kenyan government has not officially confirmed any deaths of its nationals in Ukraine. In November, Kenya’s foreign minister said around 200 Kenyans were believed to be fighting for Russia and that recruitment networks remained active.
Ukraine’s intelligence estimates that more than 1,400 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia. Other African nations have also reported cases of citizens being lured with promises of well-paid jobs abroad, only to be drawn into military service.
Ukraine has previously warned foreign nationals that those fighting for Russia would be treated as enemy combatants, adding that surrender remains the safest way out. On Saturday, Ukrainian intelligence again cautioned against travelling to Russia for work, saying it carried a serious risk of forced deployment with “little to no chance of survival”.
