A Kenyan man who reportedly travelled to Russia for a driving job has allegedly been killed while fighting for the Russian army in Ukraine—just one month after leaving Kenya.
According to documents circulating online, Martin Macharia Mburu died on November 27, 2025, in what was described as an attack by Ukrainian forces. A Nigerian national was also reportedly killed in the same incident. Their passports were allegedly recovered alongside Russian military documents and air tickets showing Mburu departed Kenya on October 21, 2025.
News of his death emerged after Kirinyaga Central MP Joseph Gitari demanded answers from the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations regarding claims that Mburu and another Kenyan, Peter Kimemia Kamanu, were forcibly recruited into the Russian army.
Gitari also called for an update on investigations into the alleged recruitment network and the steps taken by the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to engage the Russian government over the men’s repatriation.
“The two are said to have undergone a three-day training before being deployed to the frontlines of the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict,” Gitari told Parliament, warning that the case raises serious concerns about the safety of Kenyans pursuing opportunities abroad.
He noted that neither Mburu nor Kamanu had any prior military training.
Mburu’s death marks the first publicly known case of a Kenyan killed while fighting for the Russian army.
Meanwhile, another Kenyan, Evans Kibet, reportedly surrendered to Ukrainian forces and is currently being held as a prisoner of war.
Mburu’s travel timeline also coincides with the deportation of a Russian national suspected of coordinating the recruitment of Kenyans for combat roles in Russia. The arrest followed a multi-agency operation in Athi River, where 21 Kenyans were intercepted while allegedly being prepared for trafficking to Russia with promises of lucrative salaries.
However, the Russian Embassy in Nairobi has previously dismissed reports of forced or illegal recruitment, insisting earlier claims surrounding the deported Russian businessman, Mikhail Lyapin, were misleading and that he was scheduled to leave the country voluntarily.
