Busia Family Holds Mock Burial For Kin Killed In Russia-Ukraine war
Grief and heartbreak filled a village in Busia County as a family performed a mock burial for their son.
The deceased, a former Kenya Defence Forces officer reportedly died while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, thousands of kilometres away from home.
The emotional ceremony at Mukhunga Village in Bunyala Sub-County saw relatives, friends and mourners gather to honour the late Oscar Khagola, 40, whose body was never returned to Kenya after he allegedly died on the battlefield on August 14, 2025.
Unable to retrieve his remains, the family decided to stage a symbolic burial in a bid to accord him dignity, appease his spirit and finally find closure after months of anguish and uncertainty.
While the government of Kenya has chosen to abandon its nationals in Russia, they keep dying and families forced to bury nothing in order to move on.
— husseinkhalid (@husskhalid) May 9, 2026
Today in Busia, @VOCALAfrica_ is taking part in the ceremonial burial of Oscar Khaguli Mutoka who died in the Russia – Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/DzLGqjfdrh
A sombre mood engulfed the village as mourners erected a tombstone bearing Khagola’s photograph, name, date of birth and date of death on a small section of land within his compound to symbolise his presence among family members.
Instead, family members and friends held prayers and eulogised Khagola in a service that mirrored an actual burial despite the absence of his body.
According to the family, Khagola travelled to Russia in search of greener pastures just two months before his reported death.
Unknown to them at the time, he had allegedly joined the Russian military and was later deployed to the warfront.
The family said they remained in the dark about his whereabouts until January 2026, when they received the devastating news that he had died during fighting in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Their attempts to have his body repatriated to Kenya for burial were unsuccessful after they were informed that his remains could not be retrieved from the battlefield.
His father, Charles Mutoka, said the family was left with no alternative but to hold the mock burial after learning there was little hope of ever recovering the body.
“I am disappointed that the government says it had no knowledge of Kenyans who travelled to Russia in search of greener pastures,” Mutoka lamented during the emotional ceremony.
Family members described Khagola as a patriotic Kenyan who had previously served in the military during operations against Al-Shabaab militants and in the aftermath of the Westgate terror attack in Nairobi.
They said his death had left a painful gap in the family and shocked many who knew him as a disciplined former soldier.
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Local leaders who attended the ceremony called on the government to support the grieving family and pursue justice over the circumstances surrounding Khagola’s reported recruitment and death.
PROTECTING KENYANS ABROAD
— KBC Channel 1 News (@KBCChannel1) May 7, 2026
Mudavadi says the Ministry of Foreign & Diaspora Affairs is underfunded
Kenyans are still joining the Russia-Ukraine war#PrimeEdition pic.twitter.com/N6UQqOG3su
The incident has once again drawn attention to growing concerns over reports that Kenyans are being recruited into the Russia-Ukraine conflict through questionable overseas job arrangements.
In recent months, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has warned about the increasing number of Kenyans allegedly ending up in the war.
According to Mudavadi, two Kenyans are currently being held as prisoners of war by Ukrainian forces, while hundreds more are believed to have been recruited into the Russian military.
Fresh concerns as reports emerge Kenyans are still being recruited into Russia-Ukraine war pic.twitter.com/71ZzbwpM55
— TV 47 Digital (@tv47digital) April 24, 2026
Some, he said, are allegedly lured through fake job offers and trafficking networks promising lucrative opportunities abroad and possible foreign citizenship.
Busia Family Holds Mock Burial For Kin Killed In Russia-Ukraine war
