The silent arrival of body bags—or the agonizing lack thereof—is tearing apart families in Nairobi as the true cost of the Russia-Ukraine war hits home. Following the confirmed death of 29-year-old Clinton Mogesa in Donetsk, a wave of grief and anger is rising among parents whose sons were trafficked into a war they did not understand.

In a tearful press briefing in Nairobi, families of missing and deceased fighters demanded answers from the government. They painted a picture of deceptive recruitment agencies that promised lucrative security jobs in Russia, only for their children to be handed rifles and marched to the frontlines of Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

"He Thought He Was Guarding a Warehouse"

The story of Oscar Agolla, a former KDF soldier, mirrors that of Mogesa. His father, Charles Ojiambo, struggled to speak through his tears. "My son left in May. He traveled through Istanbul. He told us he had a good job," Ojiambo recounted. "The next photo he sent was from a trench. He was with 13 other Kenyans. He said, 'Baba, pray for me, this is not what they promised.' now he is dead."

Rights group Vocal Africa, which organized the briefing, claims to have verified at least 18 Kenyan deaths. However, survivors returning with injuries suggest the number of Kenyans on the frontline could be as high as 500.

• The Deception: Recruiters operate with impunity, often disguising combat roles as civilian logistics or security work. Once the recruits land in Russia, their passports are confiscated, and they are forced to sign contracts in Russian they cannot read.
• The "Meat Assault": Survivors describe being used as human probes to reveal Ukrainian firing positions. "They send the Africans first," one injured returnee told journalists. "If we die, the Russians know where the enemy is. If we refuse, the Russians shoot us."
• Government Inaction: Families accused the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a lethargic response. "Our children are being sold," cried one mother. "Where is the government? Why are these agencies still open in Nairobi?"

A National Crisis

Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Vocal Africa, termed the situation a "national crisis" and a gross violation of human rights. He called for an immediate crackdown on the rogue agencies facilitating this travel. "We are witnessing state-sanctioned human trafficking disguised as labor migration," Khalid charged.

The economic desperation in Kenya, with high youth unemployment, makes these offers irresistible. A salary of $2,000 (approx. KES 260,000) a month is a fortune to a jobless graduate. But as the body count rises, the currency of that payment is revealed to be blood.

The Long Wait

For the Ojiambo family and the Mogesa family, the tragedy is compounded by the inability to bury their dead. Bodies are often left on the battlefield or stored in mass morgues in Russia, with repatriation being a costly and diplomatic nightmare.

"I don't want the money," Ojiambo said, clutching a photo of his son in uniform. "I just want his body. I want to bury him at home. Is that too much for a father to ask?" As the war grinds on, hundreds more Kenyan families wait by their phones, dreading the call from a foreign number.