Plea taking for Festus Arasa Omwamba, accused of recruiting Kenyans to serve in the Russian military, was deferred by Kahawa Law Courts on Thursday. The deferral allows both the prosecution and the court to review High Court orders that currently restrain his arrest and prosecution until March 27, 2026.
Omwamba, 33, appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Gideon Kiage following his arrest by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). He is alleged to have recruited 25 Kenyans under false pretences, promising European employment but sending them to Russia for exploitative purposes.
Omwamba’s lawyer argued that the suspect voluntarily presented himself to police, is not a flight risk, and is willing to deposit his passport in court. The ODPP requested time to verify the applicability of the High Court bail orders to the current case.
The magistrate confirmed that plea taking will be conducted on Friday after reviewing the relevant files. If arraigned, Omwamba will face charges under the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act, 2010, Section 3(1)(d) and Section 3(5).
The case comes amid rising concern over illegal recruitment of Kenyans for the Russia–Ukraine conflict, with the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow issuing repeated warnings against fraudulent employment offers.
