Kenya Under Pressure Over Russia Recruitment Drive Targeting Young Women

Kenya’s National Employment Authority is facing questions over advertisements recruiting young Kenyan women for jobs under the “Alabuga Start” programme in Russia, amid concerns over the safety of citizens recruited to work there.

The adverts, displayed on billboards and online in Nairobi, target women aged 18 to 22 with promises of salaries of between $1,200 and $2,000, free air travel and hostel accommodation during training. The advertisements have raised concerns because of Alabuga’s links to drone production and military-related industries.

The adverts appeared three months after NEA officials travelled to Russia on what they described as a fact-finding mission. The delegation visited the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.

International media, including the BBC and The Guardian, have identified Alabuga as a centre for drone production and other military-linked activities. NEA Director General Edith Okoki said the delegation’s discussions focused on legitimate opportunities in hospitality, education and vocational training, rather than weapons manufacturing.

Ms Okoki said the safety and welfare of Kenyan workers remained a priority and that any agreements would be subject to full government vetting. However, the appearance of recruitment material carrying the Alabuga name has raised further questions about the programme.

The controversy comes as families continue to seek information about relatives who travelled to Russia after being recruited into the Russian military and have since gone missing. The Foreign Ministry’s Diaspora Affairs department has said it has received no updates from Moscow about Kenyans who joined the Russian army and are now unaccounted for.

Intelligence reports presented to Parliament have identified rogue recruitment agencies as a source of deceptive enlistment schemes. Some agencies are alleged to have received assistance from corrupt officials. Several recruitment agents are facing charges in court, although the extent of the recruitment network remains unclear.

The Alabuga Start advertisements are aimed particularly at young women and promote salaries that are significantly higher than the monthly earnings of many graduate teachers. They also offer free flights and accommodation, making the programme attractive to young Kenyans seeking employment and financial independence.

International media investigations have reported that African women recruited to Alabuga through similar programmes were subsequently employed in drone factories under hazardous conditions and received less pay than they had been promised. One South Sudanese woman told the BBC that she was taken to a drone assembly line without being informed in advance and described the work as dangerous and exploitative.

The Kenyan government has previously condemned the recruitment of its citizens into Russia’s military operations. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi described the practice as unacceptable and clandestine.

However, the government has not issued a formal statement on the Alabuga Start programme, despite reports that hundreds of Kenyan women have been issued passports to travel there. A 2025 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime estimated that at least 14 Kenyans were already working at Alabuga, while noting that the actual number could be considerably higher because recruitment was continuing.

The situation has raised questions about Kenya’s oversight of overseas employment and the protection of citizens recruited to work abroad. It has also increased pressure on the government to establish whether the Alabuga Start programme is legitimate and whether Kenyan workers are being adequately protected.