Outside Kenya’s parliament, anguished families of young men lured into fighting for Russia in its war on Ukraine gathered to demand answers, accountability, and the safe return of their loved ones.

Clutching portraits of sons and grandsons, some listed as missing, others reported wounded or detained, the families marched through central Nairobi before delivering a petition to lawmakers. Their central plea: an immediate ban on the recruitment of Kenyans into foreign wars and a full government effort to trace and repatriate those already on the front lines.

Chants of “Bring back our sons” echoed across the precincts as relatives accused state officials and private agents of complicity in a scheme that promised jobs and education abroad but ended in trenches in eastern Ukraine.

Human rights groups say the recruits were targeted with offers of scholarships, security jobs, or fast-tracked citizenship, only to find themselves in military training camps and then deployed to active combat zones. Odhiambo Ojiro, a rapid response officer with the organisation Vocal Africa, said the state could no longer claim ignorance.

Their fears were reinforced by an intelligence report tabled in parliament by majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah, which alleged that officials from both Kenya and Russia colluded with recruitment agencies to funnel Kenyans to the front lines. According to government figures cited in the report, more than 1,000 Kenyans were recruited, with at least 89 still in active combat.

Authorities have confirmed one death, 39 hospitalisations and 28 cases of Kenyans listed as missing in action. Others have managed to return home, recounting stories of coercion, broken promises and the shock of being thrust into a foreign war with minimal training.

Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi has pledged a diplomatic push in Moscow to secure the release of Kenyans held as prisoners of war and to negotiate the repatriation of those still in Russia.

For families, those assurances feel painfully abstract. “The president should be told that we are crying because of our children,” said Monica Wanjiku Gwere, whose 28-year-old grandson, Isaac Kungu, travelled to Russia and has since vanished. “If they are dead, they should be brought back for burial.”

Another parent, Evans Jumba, whose son is believed to be serving with Russian forces, questioned how untrained civilians could be sent into such a conflict. “Our sons have no business in that war,” he said.

Relatives and activists are urging prosecutors to treat the scheme as human trafficking and forced recruitment. Two Kenyans have already been charged, but families insist the network is wider and want every official and agent involved brought before the courts.