- Erastus Mundia was promised a job in a food-packing factory abroad with a monthly salary of about KSh 115,000
- Upon arrival, he was pressured into joining the Russian military with minimal military training before being deployed to fight in Ukraine
- Just as his family was expecting him to share proceeds from the “life-changing opportunity”, they received news that he had died
When Erastus Mundia left Kenya in June 2025, he carried with him the hopes of a better future for his family.
Source: UGC
The 38-year-old was among hundreds of Kenyans who believed they had secured well-paying civilian jobs in Russia through a programme publicly promoted as an opportunity for employment abroad.
Instead, according to his family and rights groups, the father of three ended up on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, Africa News 10 reports.
Mundia died in January, leaving behind his children, devastated parents and a family searching for answers. His mother, Josephine Ngoya, says the pain of losing her son has consumed her life.
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“Since I got the news, I hardly eat. I find myself in a different world,” she told AFP while holding a portrait of Mundia taken during his university graduation.
For Ngoya, the grief is accompanied by anger. She believes the Kenyan government failed to protect her son and others who travelled to Russia expecting civilian employment.
According to the grieving family, Mundia was among a group of Kenyans promised jobs in a food-packing factory in Russia with a monthly salary of about KSh 115,000.
On June 26, 2025, photographs of Mundia and other recruits preparing to leave Kenya on a “life-changing opportunity” were shared online.
However, investigations suggest many of those who travelled under the programme were instead pressured into signing contracts with the Russian military.
Some reportedly received minimal military training before being deployed to fight in Ukraine. Many never returned home.
Kenyan Govt’s take on illegal recruitment
The Kenyan government has acknowledged the scale of the problem, estimating that 291 Kenyans have been victims of what it describes as Russia’s “irregular military recruitment”.
Official figures indicate that 19 have died and 32 remain missing. Yet the true number may be far higher.
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An intelligence report places the figure at more than 1,000 Kenyans and alleges that some officials may have been complicit in the scheme.
For families like the Mundias, statistics mean little compared to the personal loss they now carry.
In their home in Kakamega County, Mundia’s parents remember a son who left in search of a better life and never returned.
The photograph from his graduation has become a treasured reminder of his dreams and achievements.
Details indicate that most of the workers who left Kenya in June 2025 are now dead, raising further questions about the circumstances under which the recruits travelled and the promises that were made to them.
As calls grow for accountability and a full investigation, Mundia’s family continues to mourn a father, son and breadwinner whose journey abroad ended in tragedy.
For Josephine Ngoya, the loss remains difficult to comprehend. What was supposed to be a chance for her son to improve his family’s future became a journey from which he would never return.
Source: NGBREAKINGNEWS
