In Sikonga village, Kisii County, a mother's wails fill the house. Dennis Bagaka Ombwori, 39, the second-born son of John and Esther Ombwori, is the latest Kenyan confirmed dead in the Russia–Ukraine war.
Villagers gather outside, offering what little comfort they can, but Esther Ombwori cannot be consoled. Dennis worked as a security officer in Qatar when recruiters approached him with what appeared to be a better offer. But his family says he never knew what the job really was.
His brother, Alfred Morara, said the news had shattered the family.
"They were not told which job they wanted to do. They were taken to Russia." Morara said. "He was recruited as a foreign soldier in Russia. They started fighting for Russia against Ukraine."
Hundreds of miles away in Nairobi, the Ogolla family mourns a similar loss. 32-year-old Oscar Agola Ojiambo vanished shortly after joining the Russian army last June. Months later, his family is still waiting for answers — and for his body.
"The commanders at the war front revealed that my son died on 14 August 2025," says Charles Ojiambo Mutoka, Oscar's father. "That revelation came in January this year, but the Russian government has not disclosed it to next of kin."
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