A Kenyan man recovering in a Russian hospital has issued an emotional appeal for help, claiming he was deceived into travelling abroad for what he believed was a cleaning job, only to find himself caught in the middle of the war in Ukraine.
Denis Mokaya Mongare says he left Kenya in November last year after being linked to a recruitment agent identified as Maria, who allegedly promised him employment in Russia. According to Mongare, the job offer seemed legitimate at the time, and he hoped it would provide a better future for himself and his family.
However, the journey that followed raised immediate concerns. Mongare says he travelled through South Africa and later Dubai before finally arriving in Moscow and then Belarusa route he now believes may have been part of a broader recruitment scheme targeting vulnerable job seekers.
Speaking from a hospital bed in Stary Oskol in Russia’s Belgorod region, Mongare said the situation changed dramatically the moment he landed in the country. According to accounts shared in a report by Producer Kevin, Mongare claims that immigration officials confiscated their passports at the airport upon arrival.
He says he was travelling with other Kenyans identified as Francis Waithera, Enock Mboi and Thadeus Kamau. After their passports were taken, the group was allegedly transported for several hours to an unknown location.
Mongare claims the group was later forced to sign documents written entirely in Russianpapers they could not read or understand.“We didn’t know what we were signing,” he reportedly said. “We were confused and scared.”
According to his account, once the documents were signed they were taken to a military camp where they underwent about a week of training. Shortly afterwards, they were moved again to another camp closer to the Ukrainian border.
Mongare alleges that their personal belongings were burned before they were deployed to the battlefield.
Life on the front line, he says, was extremely harsh. Mongare described freezing temperatures, limited food supplies and constant drone and artillery attacks as soldiers struggled to survive in the war zone.
His ordeal took a dramatic turn on February 5 when he survived a drone strike that left him injured. He was later taken to a hospital in Stary Oskol, located in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast near the Ukrainian border, where he is currently receiving treatment.
From his hospital bed, Mongare has made a public plea to the Kenyan government to intervene and help secure his return home.
He also warned that several other Kenyans may still be trapped in the conflict zone, claiming that some individuals who travelled with similar promises of employment have already died while fighting.
Mongare’s story has raised growing concern about the risks facing job seekers who travel abroad in search of opportunities but may fall victim to fraudulent recruitment schemes. Experts warn that such networks sometimes exploit economic hardship by offering attractive job offers overseas, only to place workers in dangerous or exploitative conditions.
As Mongare continues his recovery, his appeal highlights the urgent need for stronger oversight of overseas recruitment agencies and greater protection for migrant workers seeking opportunities beyond their home countries.
