It has emerged that the 22 Kenyans who were allegedly rescued from the custody of a man suspected of recruiting them for combat in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war are former members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
The revelation came to light during a court session at the Kahawa Law Courts, where the main suspect, Edward Kamau Gituku, appeared to face charges related to illegal recruitment for foreign military service.
According to submissions made by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the 22 individuals were found in Athi River, Machakos County, under the supervision of Gituku, who is accused of luring them with promises of lucrative salaries and overseas deployment opportunities in Eastern Europe.
“Preliminary investigations show that the 22 were ex-military personnel who had previously served in the Kenya Defence Forces,” the prosecution told the court.
“They were allegedly being prepared for recruitment and deployment to participate in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.”
The ODPP noted that intelligence reports from security agencies had been shared with international partners as part of a joint investigation into possible transnational criminal networks facilitating the recruitment of African nationals into foreign conflicts.
Gituku was arrested last week following a multi-agency operation led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU).
Officers stormed a private residence in Athi River where the 22 men were reportedly being briefed and processed for travel.
During the raid, detectives allegedly recovered military fatigues, travel documents, and electronic gadgets believed to contain communication logs with foreign contacts.
The prosecution said the items are being subjected to forensic examination.
While opposing bail, state counsel argued that Gituku posed a flight risk and that releasing him could jeopardize ongoing investigations, noting that law enforcement agencies are pursuing possible collaborators both locally and abroad.
However, Senior Principal Magistrate (SPM) at Kahawa Law Courts ruled that the accused be released on Kshs. 500,000 bail with one surety of similar amount, observing that the prosecution had not provided sufficient grounds to deny bail at this stage.
“The accused shall cooperate with the investigators and report to the DCI headquarters once every two weeks until the matter is concluded,” the magistrate ordered.
The case is set for mention on October 23, 2025, to allow the prosecution to file a complete report and update the court on the progress of investigations, including verification of the identities and status of the 22 rescued Kenyans.
