The silence from the state is deafening, and Justin Muturi has had enough. The Democratic Party leader has issued a thunderous ultimatum to the government, demanding the immediate repatriation of Kenyan nationals who have been reportedly recruited as mercenaries in the grinding, bloody conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking to the press in Nairobi, a visibly concerned Muturi castigated the administration for what he termed a "sluggish and indifferent" response to the plight of its citizens. Reports have been filtering in for months of young, unemployed Kenyan men being lured by promises of lucrative pay, only to find themselves used as cannon fodder on the freezing frontlines of Eastern Europe. For Muturi, this is not a geopolitical issue; it is a humanitarian emergency.

Mercenaries or Economic Victims?

"These are not soldiers; these are desperate children of Kenya searching for a livelihood," Muturi argued, striking at the heart of the youth unemployment crisis that drives such perilous migration. He challenged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come clean on the numbers, asking how many Kenyans have died, how many are injured, and what diplomatic leverage is being used to extract them from the war zone.

The situation paints a grim picture of desperation. With the local economy struggling to absorb graduates, the allure of military contracts—often disguised as security work—has proven fatal. Muturi’s intervention raises the stakes, framing the government’s inaction as a betrayal of its constitutional duty to protect its citizens, regardless of where they are.

• The Diplomatic Dilemma: Kenya maintains ties with Russia, complicating any direct confrontation. However, Muturi insists that sovereignty and the sanctity of life must supersede diplomatic niceties.
• The Recruitment Pipeline: The former Speaker called for a crackdown on the shadowy agencies facilitating this recruitment, labeling them as traffickers trading in human blood.
• Family Anguish: Behind the politics are grieving families in rural Kenya receiving vague messages about their "missing" sons, with no body to bury and no answers from the state.

A Call to Conscience

"We cannot watch our flag being draped over coffins coming from a war that is not ours," Muturi declaimed. He urged the state to deploy all diplomatic channels—including the United Nations and bilateral talks with Moscow—to secure an amnesty and safe passage for the fighters.

The demand is simple: Bring them home. As the war in Ukraine grinds into another year, the fate of these "economic conscripts" hangs in the balance. Muturi’s call serves as a wake-up order to a government that seems to have forgotten that its primary mandate is the safety of its people, at home and abroad.