Mundia was a 38-year-old father of three when he left in June 2025, one of hundreds of Kenyans promised well-paid civilian jobs in Russia, only to be forced to sign contracts with the Russian army, often at gunpoint.Most received little military training. Many died on the front lines in Ukraine."Since I got the news, I hardly eat. I find myself in a different world," Josephine Ngoya, Mundia's mother, told AFP, holding a portrait of her son at his university graduation."I feel like the Kenyan government and Alfred Mutua have betrayed us," she added, speaking from her home in the Kakamega region of western Kenya.Kenya officially estimates that 291 of its citizens have been victims of Russia's "irregular military recruitment", including 19 dead and 32 missing.But a report by the Kenyan intelligence services, seen by AFP, puts the figure at over 1,000 and says officials were complicit.Three senior Kenyan sources familiar with the case -- a civil servant, security official and lawyer -- told AFP that Labour Minister Mutua was personally and politically involved in the scam.AFP could not independently verify the accusations. After initially agreeing to an interview, Mutua finally declined to talk.'Life-changing'On June 26, 2025, Mutua shared photos of himself with Mundia and around 20 others leaving for Russia, saying they were headed for a "life-changing opportunity" that would earn them 115,000 shillings ($900) a month in a food-packing factory.VOCAL Africa, a Kenyan rights group, believes most of the workers in the photos are now dead.Mundia died in January, according to his parents. AFP was not able to independently verify the fate of the others.