colluding with human trafficking syndicates. The report, submitted to parliament on Wednesday by Kenya's National Intelligence Service (NIS), said 89 Kenyans were on the front lines of the Russia–Ukraine war as of February this year. At least one Kenyan has died, while several others have returned home injured or traumatised, it added. The Kenyan government, which previously estimated that about 200 of its nationals had been recruited to fight for Russia, wants Moscow to bar the conscription of Kenyan soldiers.

Presenting the report to MPs, parliament majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah, revealed what he termed a "deeply disturbing" network of rogue state officials allegedly colluding with human trafficking syndicates to recruit and transport Kenyans to fight in the Russia–Ukraine war. The spy agency detailed how recruitment agencies have allegedly been colluding with rogue Kenyan airport staff, immigration officers, officers at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), anti-narcotics officers and National Employment Authority officers to facilitate recruits' travel. Ichung'wah alleged that the agencies had also been colluding with staff at the Russian embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan embassy in Moscow to help recruits get Russian visas. The BBC has asked the Russian embassy for comment. Russia has previously denied any involvement in recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine. (BBC)