Musalia Mudavadi has clarified why the Kenyan government has yet to secure an immediate agreement to repatriate citizens reportedly fighting for the Russian military, citing the complexity and sensitivity surrounding their situation.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday, March 17, Mudavadi emphasized that the situation is complex and cannot be resolved instantly. He noted that many of the affected Kenyans are currently embedded in active combat zones, making any extraction operation highly complicated.
According to him, repatriation would require close coordination with Russia, which controls the military structures and operations where the individuals are deployed. He stressed that removing them from the battlefield is not as simple as arranging transport, but instead depends on military processes, timing, and cooperation from Russian authorities.
“The process of getting them back is not an instant process. They are involved in the battlefield, and to extract them from there is not just going to a place and plucking them out and putting them on a plane,” Mudavadi stated.
He further revealed that Kenya and Russian authorities had reached an understanding to halt any further recruitment of Kenyans into Russian military operations.
On the issue of compensation, Mudavadi made it clear that the Kenyan government would not take responsibility for compensating individuals involved, signaling that liability may rest elsewhere depending on the circumstances of their recruitment and deployment.