A family in Kisii County is in shock and mourning after losing their 29-year-old son, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, who was killed while fighting in Ukraine as part of Russian forces.
Mogesa, a native of Bonchari, left Kenya in 2024 seeking work abroad, initially travelling to Qatar.
His family sold land to fund his travel, hoping he would earn enough to support them.
They only learned of his involvement in the Russian military after news of his death surfaced.
The family was informed that Mogesa was killed during heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, January 31, 2026, after only minimal training.
His body has yet to be repatriated, leaving the family unable to perform burial rites.
Speaking publicly on Sunday, February 1, 2026, Mogesa’s brother, Joel Mogere, said the family had received no official communication regarding the circumstances of his death or the handling of his remains.
“He was the breadwinner and the hope of this family. His death has devastated us,” Mogere said.
Their mother, Mellen Moraa, who struggles with ongoing health challenges, appealed to the government to intervene and help bring her son home so he can be laid to rest according to family traditions.
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The family also revealed that Mogesa was carrying passports belonging to two other Kenyan nationals, raising fears that more Kenyans may have been recruited and deployed in dangerous combat roles under similar circumstances.
They are urging the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and national leadership to investigate how Mogesa was recruited, clarify the circumstances surrounding his death, and facilitate the repatriation of his remains.
Mogesa’s death underscores the risks faced by Kenyans recruited abroad with promises of work, only to find themselves on foreign battlefields, leaving families grieving and seeking answers.