Mudavadi, Mutua, Oduor put on spot over Kenyans in Russian army

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and Attorney General Dorcas Oduor have come under scrutiny after failing to appear before the Senate over the recruitment of Kenyan nationals into the Russian Army and the  detention of Kenyans in Ukrainian prisons.

The three senior government officials were scheduled to appear before a joint sitting of the Senate National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee on Tuesday morning.

However, they sent apologies saying they were attending a Cabinet meeting at the Kisumu State Lodge.

Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo, who chairs the National Security Committee, and West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, who chairs the Senate Labour Committee, said it would not be prudent to proceed without the Cabinet Secretaries, despite the petitioners having presented themselves before the Senate.

“I would like to inform fellow Senators and petitioners that we are in possession of a letter from the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi conveying his apologies of not being able to attend today’s meeting because they are attending a Cabinet meeting at the Kisumu State Lodge,” said Murgor.

Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangwa said it was disappointing that the three senior government officials had failed to appear before the Senate to address a matter of national concern that has remained unresolved despite serious concerns raised by Kenyans.

Kajiado Senator Lenku Seki, however, said the committee should proceed with the meeting in the absence of the Cabinet Secretaries since the petitioners were already in Parliament. He proposed that the petitioners be heard and Mudavadi, Mutua and Oduor summoned at a later date.

Senate Minority Leader Stewart Madzayo supported the decision to defer the meeting, saying it would not be prudent to proceed without the Cabinet Secretaries because any resolutions reached might not receive the seriousness they deserved.

“I would like to request that this meeting is adjourned so as to give the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Labour Cabinet Secretary and the Attorney General to be before the joint sitting of this two committees to deliberate on this very weight matter affecting many Kenyan families,” said Madzayo.

William Juma, the lead petitioner, appealed to the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the recruitment, transportation and deployment of Kenyan nationals into the armed forces of the Russian Federation, as well as the adequacy of the State’s response.

The petitioners want the inquiry to receive evidence from affected families and returnees and establish the whereabouts and status of Kenyans recruited into the Russian military.

Juma said the petitioners were asking the Senate to compel relevant ministries and agencies to reconcile their records and compile and regularly update a verified, disaggregated national register of affected Kenyan nationals, distinguishing those confirmed alive and in contact from those whose status remains unknown.

The register, they said, should identify Kenyans deployed at the frontline, held in camps or bases, injured or hospitalised, detained or held as prisoners of war, missing or missing in action, reported deceased but not independently confirmed, confirmed deceased, and those returned or repatriated.

“We would like the government ministries to provide records of those whose contracts have ended but who remain abroad and of unknown status - the case-level register being supplied confidentially to the appropriate parliamentary and investigative authorities and used to give individual updates to families, with aggregate statistics, methodology and progress made publicly available,” said Juma.

The petitioners also called for the establishment of a family liaison mechanism within the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, with a named senior officer, individual case reference numbers and written status updates to families at defined intervals. They want the mechanism to report periodically to the Senate.

They further called for coordinated diplomatic engagement with the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the International Committee of the Red Cross to trace affected Kenyans, secure humanitarian access and facilitate communication between detained persons and their families.

The petitioners want clarification of the status of every Kenyan being held and the release and repatriation of Kenyans, including those whose contracts have expired. They also want affected families consulted before, and briefed after, any diplomatic engagement concerning their relatives.

The petitioners also called for procedures for death verification, identification and the handling of remains, including DNA support, notification standards and prior consultation with families.

They want the remains of deceased Kenyans repatriated where recoverable and oppose cremation, burial abroad or any other irreversible disposal without lawful authority, verified identification, prior notification and meaningful consultation with next of kin.

They also called for structured assistance to affected families and returnees, including psychosocial care, medical treatment, legal assistance, reintegration support and access to victim-support mechanisms.

The petitioners want recruitment agencies, brokers, financial beneficiaries and any public or diplomatic officials reasonably suspected of facilitating or obstructing the recruitment and deployment of Kenyans to be investigated, while respecting proceedings pending before the courts.

The petitioners also want the Government to review the regulation of foreign labour recruitment, including licensing and vetting by the National Employment Authority.

They called for tighter controls on recruitment advertising, verification of overseas job offers and employment visas, pre-departure safeguards, airport controls and public warnings.

They further want the responsible Cabinet Secretaries to report to Parliament quarterly on tracing and status verification, repatriation, diplomatic engagement, investigations, prosecutions and support provided to affected families.