Tag

Kenya

All articles tagged with #kenya

africa26 days ago•4 min saved

Africa treads carefully as Russia-linked recruitment of citizens for Ukraine war surfaces

African governments are navigating cautious diplomacy as reports of Russia-linked recruitment of Africans to fight in Ukraine emerge; Kenya’s foreign minister visits Moscow under domestic pressure to halt recruitment, while Ghana and South Africa report casualties and investigations. Estimates suggest thousands of Africans could be involved, including over 1,000 Kenyans, but officials emphasize dialogue over confrontation and analysts say public backlash remains limited for now.

via Reuters|

#africa #ghana #kenya

africa1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenya detains Chinese national over plan to smuggle 2,248 queen garden ants

A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for attempting to smuggle about 2,248 live queen garden ants (1,948 in test tubes and 300 hidden in tissue rolls) to China, signaling ties to a broader ant‑trafficking network. The ants, protected under biodiversity treaties, are regulated trade; prosecutors asked to forensically examine his devices as investigations widen and more arrests are anticipated. A similar high‑profile case last year underscored the seriousness of wildlife trafficking in Kenya.

via BBC|

#africa #ants #china

health1 month ago•12 min saved

Kenya's slimming trend: beauty norms shift fueling weight-loss boom

Kenya is seeing a rapid rise in weight‑loss treatments as societal beauty norms shift from celebrating larger bodies to slimmer figures. Nairobi clinics report booming demand for surgery and prescription injections like Ozempic, with patients including public figures who share their journeys—often facing mixed reactions online. Costs can run into thousands of dollars, and regulators warn about unsupervised use and unregulated sources, while doctors say medical help is sometimes necessary to address obesity and related health risks.

via BBC|

#beauty-standards #health #kenya

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Kenya Cave Unearths Africa’s Earliest Known Burial, 78,000 Years Old

Archaeologists in Kenya’s Panga ya Saidi cave have uncovered a 78,000-year-old burial of a 2.5–3-year-old child—the oldest known in Africa—deliberately arranged and accompanied by Middle Stone Age tools, suggesting early mortuary practices and complex social behavior among Homo sapiens. Discovered in 2013 and clarified by 2017, the find highlights East Africa’s pivotal role in early human cultural and symbolic life and reshapes what we know about ancient burial traditions on the continent.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#africa #archaeology #burials

africa1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenyan recruiter charged after luring Kenyans to fight in Ukraine for Russia

Kenya’s Festus Arasa Omwamba, head of Global Faces Human Resources, was charged with luring 22 Kenyans to Russia under false job promises, only for them to be deployed to Ukraine’s front lines; three others had already left Kenya and were on the front, while authorities say about 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia. Omwamba, 33, pleaded not guilty to the charges as investigations continue near the Ethiopian border.

via BBC|

#africa #kenya #recruitment

world-news1 month ago•61 min saved

Kenya nabs alleged recruiter of fighters for Russia's Ukraine campaign

Kenyan police arrested a man accused of recruiting fighters to join Russia's war in Ukraine, signaling ongoing cross-border recruitment linked to the conflict; investigators in Nairobi say the case is active and part of broader efforts to curb foreign militant activity.

via AP News|

#kenya #nairobi #russia-ukraine-war

world1 month ago•10 min saved

From job promises to front-line peril: Kenyans lured into Russia’s Ukraine war

Kenyan workers were lured by recruitment agents to Russia for truck-driving jobs, only to be sent to Ukraine to fight. Kenya’s National Intelligence Service says over 1,000 Kenyans were recruited, with dozens on the front lines, some killed or missing. One recruit, Dancan Chege, escaped after brutal training and mass casualties he witnessed; families demand accountability and repatriation. Kenya has repatriated dozens and vows to crack down on fraudulent recruitment, while Moscow denies illegal recruitment and frames foreign enlistment as voluntary.

via Al Jazeera|

#amnesty-international #kenya #recruitment-fraud

sports1 month ago•3 min saved

Scottish tandem bike lands in Nairobi to boost Kenya’s para-cycling

A used tandem bike donated from Scotland arrived in Nairobi on Valentine’s Day to support Kenya's paracycling team; after months of logistics coordinated via a Kenyan contact in Glasgow, the bike will be upgraded for racing for pilot Alice Miring'u, highlighting Kenya's need for tandem bikes ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

via BBC|

#donation #kenya #paracycling

world1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenya cites intelligence alleging over 1,000 Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Kenya’s National Intelligence Service says rogue recruitment agencies lured more than 1,000 Kenyans—often ex-military or police—into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, with promises of high salaries, bonuses and eventual citizenship. The probe alleges collusion with Kenyan immigration, police and anti-narcotics staff and with Russian/Kenyan embassies to secure visas, as recruits are now travelling via Uganda, DRC and South Africa after airport interceptions. As of February, 39 hospitalised, 30 repatriated, 28 missing, 89 on frontline, 1 detained and 1 having completed a contract; Kenya’s foreign minister plans to visit Russia to press the issue, while Russia denies involvement.

via The Guardian|

#intelligence #kenya #recruitment

world1 month ago•5 min saved

Kenya probes alleged network as over 1,000 nationals enlist to fight for Russia

Kenya’s National Intelligence Service says more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia in the Russia–Ukraine war, with 89 on the front lines as of February; at least one has died and others are injured or missing. The report alleges a network of rogue officials and human-trafficking syndicates facilitating recruitment and travel, offering salaries up to 350,000 shillings per month plus bonuses while recruits are deployed to front-line roles with minimal training. Initial travel routes via Nairobi’s JKIA changed due to surveillance. The government is pressuring Moscow to stop conscription, has shut hundreds of recruitment outfits, and repatriation and de-radicalisation efforts are underway for those returned.

via BBC|

#kenya #recruitment #russia

technology1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenyan Activist’s Phone Exposed to Forensic Tool During Custody, Citizen Lab Finds

Citizen Lab found evidence that Cellebrite’s forensic extraction tool was used on Boniface Mwangi’s Samsung phone while in Kenyan police custody in July 2025, potentially enabling full data extraction. The device was returned unlocked, fueling concerns about government misuse of surveillance tech and echoing prior Predator spyware incidents targeting activists, including an Angolan journalist, as researchers document a pattern of highly capable, carefully deployed spyware against civil society.

via The Hacker News|

#boniface-mwangi #cellebrite #civil-society-surveillance

world1 month ago•3 min saved

Kenyan authorities used Israeli spyware to breach activist Mwangi’s phone, report finds

Citizen Lab says Kenyan police used Cellebrite’s Israeli spyware to crack pro-democracy activist Boniface Mwangi’s phone while in custody, potentially extracting all data. The finding adds to concerns about government misuse of digital-forensics tools; Cellebrite says it reviews misuse and Amnesty International warns such tech can intimidate dissent.

via The Guardian|

#activism #cellebrite #digital-rights

world1 month ago•3 min saved

Labor strike snarls flights at Nairobi's JKIA hub

A planned strike by aviation workers and the Kenya Aviation Workers Union disrupted flights at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, with departures delayed up to four hours as Kenya Airways and others faced air-traffic and operational slowdowns; contingency plans were activated, passengers were urged to check with airlines, and unions cited stalled salary negotiations as the backdrop amid ongoing legal action over the dispute.

via BBC|

#aviation #jkia #kenya

africa2 months ago•4 min saved

Kenyan Family Seeks Answers After Relative Killed in Ukraine While Fighting for Russia

A Kenyan family pleads for help repatriating the body of 29-year-old Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, who was recruited from Qatar to fight for Russia and was killed in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine; with no official confirmation of his death and limited communication from Kenyan or Russian authorities, rights groups warn of ongoing African recruitment to Russia as Ukraine cautions foreign nationals about joining or traveling to Russia.

via BBC|

#africa #kenya #recruitment

africa2 months ago•332 min saved

Promises of Pay, Frontline Peril: Africans Say Russia Duped Them into Ukraine War

CNN’s investigation documents how African job seekers were lured with promises of civilian work, high salaries, and citizenship by Russian recruiters for Ukraine, only to be coerced into frontline military service, given minimal training, and faced with passport confiscation and unpaid pay; several have died or been injured, while others seek to return home as governments acknowledge the problem and contracts reveal long-term obligations and restricted post-service freedoms.

via cnn.com|

#africa #kenya #mercenaries