Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has jetted out of the country for a two-day visit to Moscow, Russia.
In a statement on Sunday, March 15, the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary said Mudavadi will hold a series of bilateral meetings with Russian officials during the visit.
According to Mudavadi’s office, the talks will center on collaboration in education, labor mobility, health, infrastructure, and energy.
“H.E. Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, leaves for Moscow, Russian Federation, for bilateral meetings.
“The visit seeks to deepen Kenya-Russia relations, particularly in areas of Education, Labour Mobility, Health, Infrastructure and Energy, while strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between Kenya and Russia,” read part of the statement.
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During the two-day visit, Mudavadi will hold bilateral talks with Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as meetings with Russia’s Ministers for Education and Labour.
The Prime CS will also deliver a public lecture at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).
The Office of the Prime CS also said the visit aims at establishing a framework that will enable Kenya to safeguard the welfare of its nationals residing, studying, and working in Russia.
Mudavadi’s talks with Russian officials will particularly seek to address the situation that surrounds Kenyans who may have been voluntarily or involuntarily drafted into the Russian military.
“The Prime CS will intensify diplomatic efforts to engage directly with Russian authorities through dialogue, to prevent further risks arising from misleading recruitment or false promises of employment,” the statement added.
Mudavadi is expected to push for the facilitation of the affected Kenyans through a safe process for their repatriation.
“The engagement is focused on a broad coordinated government action to protect Kenyans abroad, by ensuring that they work in a safe working environment and live dignified lives away from home,” Mudavadi’s office stated.
The Prime CS’s visit to Moscow comes amid public concern over Kenyans who were duped into joining the Russian military.
At least 10 Kenyans who were recruited to fight for Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War have been confirmed to have been killed in action.
On February 6, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) announced that two Kenyan nationals were killed while on the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war.
In the statement, DIU said the bodies of the two were found in the vicinity of the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
According to DIU, the two were recruited into the war by Salizhan Uulu Almamet, a Kyrgyz citizen.
In particular, Almamet signed contracts with the Russian occupation army on behalf of the victims in Yaroslavl, and also gained control over their bank accounts.
From Yaroslavl, the Russians sent the recruited Kenyan citizens to the Pogonovo training ground near the city of Voronezh before they were deployed to fight.
