Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor have been summoned to appear before the Senate over the recruitment of Kenyans into the Russian military.
The three officials are expected to appear before two Senate committees on September 29 after failing to attend a joint hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing by the Senate Committees on Labour and Social Welfare and National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations was adjourned after Mudavadi and Mutua said they were attending a Cabinet meeting in Kisumu.
The Attorney-General’s office, on the other hand, told the committees that Oduor was out of town.
The committees said the officials needed to be present to respond to questions from families whose relatives travelled to Russia and to explain what the government is doing to help those affected.
The Senate had invited relatives of Kenyans believed to have been recruited into foreign military service. Seven representatives attended the meeting on behalf of more than 800 affected families, according to Parliament.
Among those who had travelled to the Senate was Bibiana Wangari, whose son died after travelling to Russia. Winnie Rose Wainaina also attended and told the committee that her brother, Samuel Wainaina, has been missing since late October 2025.
Other families reported that their relatives were missing, had been deployed to combat areas or were being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Information presented to the committees indicated that more than 1,000 Kenyans may have been recruited into foreign military service.
The lawmakers also heard claims that recruiters were offering salaries of about KSh350,000 a month, bonuses of up to KSh1.2 million and the possibility of Russian citizenship to attract Kenyans.
Some recruits were allegedly promised civilian jobs before travelling to Russia but were later taken into military service. The Senate also heard claims that some had their identification documents taken away after arriving in the country.
The recruitment has previously come under scrutiny in Parliament.
In April, Mudavadi told lawmakers that about 252 Kenyans were believed to have been enlisted in Russian military operations, with some reported missing, wounded or deployed in combat areas.
The government has said it is pursuing diplomatic efforts with Russia to secure consular access, support the disengagement of Kenyans involved in the conflict and help bring affected citizens back home.
In May, Mudavadi also told the Senate that the government had been engaging Russian authorities over the recruitment of Kenyans into Russian Military and efforts to repatriate those involved.
The Senate committees postponed the hearing to September 29, when the three government officials are expected to appear and respond to the concerns raised by the affected families.
