DNK International By Our Correspondent,Kahawa.
A director of Global Face Limited has been charged before the Kahawa Law Courts over allegations of trafficking Kenyan youths to Russia for exploitation through deception.
Festus Arasa Omwamba, 33, was arraigned by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and pleaded not guilty before trial magistrate Hon. Gideon Kiage.
According to the prosecution, Omwamba recruited 22 Kenyan nationals and facilitated their travel to Russia under false promises. The alleged offences are said to have been committed on diverse dates between December 1, 2024 and September 24, 2025 at Great Wall Gardens in the Athi River area of Mavoko Sub-County, within Machakos. Prosecutors said the accused acted jointly with another individual who is also before the court.
The court heard that Omwamba surrendered himself at the Moyale immigration border point, where he was arrested on February 2, 2026. He was later escorted by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to Isiolo Police Station before being handed over to the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU).
Prosecuting counsel Kennedy Amwayi told the court that 22 victims of human trafficking were rescued on September 24, 2025 in Athi River. He further alleged that three other victims who had already travelled to Russia later found themselves on the frontline of the Russia–Ukraine war and eventually returned to Kenya with injuries.
Opposing the accused person’s release on bail, the prosecution argued that Omwamba was a flight risk and that the case had drawn considerable public interest both locally and internationally. The court ordered that he be remanded in police custody pending the hearing and determination of his bond and bail application.
[DNK-International@February 26,2026]
