This follows a miscellaneous application by the detectives investigating Edward Kamau Gituku to the court requesting more time to complete their probe into the case.
Gituku and others, not before the court, are accused of being part of a human trafficking syndicate that transports unsuspecting Kenyans to foreign countries in the guise of helping them find well-paying jobs.
They are accused of being involved in the illegal recruitment of Kenyans to fight for Russia.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyers battling his arrest and the charges pressed against him.
The court ordered that the suspect be held at Muthaiga police station waiting to be presented before the same magistrate after the days granted elapse.
The suspect’s mobile phones and other vital documents were confiscated to help in the probe.
He was among the men seized during a police swoop at the Great Wall Apartments in Athi River, Machakos County, on September 24.
A Russian national was also arrested on Thursday in connection with the illegal recruitment of Kenyans to fight for Russia.
The arrest came after security agencies rescued 21 Kenyans from rented apartments where they were unknowingly being processed to travel to Russia.
The suspect, who first came to Kenya in 2017, was booked at Muthaiga Police Station, awaiting arraignment after being arrested in Nairobi.
Security officers continue to caution Kenyans against being duped with lucrative offers of employment in Russia, warning that victims risk being forcefully enlisted in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Officials said more suspects are being pursued in
connection with the syndicate, after it emerged that more than a dozen Kenyans
had already left for Russia for the mission.
Kenya’s security agencies on Wednesday unravelled a human trafficking network that has been recruiting Kenyans under the guise of jobs in Moscow, only for them to end up joining the Russian military. The recruits are later deployed to the war front in Ukraine.
This success was borne out of a multi-agency operation where officers, drawn from various security organs, focused on the vice after it was established that Kenyans were being duped to pay huge sums to secure employment in Russia, but ended up in combat.
Some were reported killed, others maimed, while survivors bore torture wounds or psychological trauma.
Two Kenyans recently returned to the country, one of whom is admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital.
On September 24, 2025, the Transnational Organised Crime Unit of the DCI led an intelligence-led operation at Great Wall apartments in Athi River, where 21 Kenyans were found housed and awaiting processing for travel to Russia.
The victims disclosed to officers that they had signed agreements with an overseas employment support agency binding them to pay between Sh1.65 million and Sh2.31 million for visas, travel, accommodation, and logistics. Those unable to pay within 35 days were slapped with a 1% daily penalty.
Some victims indicated they had already paid deposits ranging from Sh50,000 to Sh100,000 after being promised salaries of up to Sh200,000.
During the raid, officers recovered documents suggesting high-level recruitment activity, including partnership agreements between recruitment firms, cheque books, travel documents, and job offer letters from various countries.
A preliminary investigation points to a well-coordinated recruitment scam with some of the players believed to be senior figures in society. The rescued victims are expected to shed more light on the operations.
Some of the men appeared to be ex-police officers and soldiers, though the majority were civilians from various parts of Kenya.
Several narrated how they had paid agents to secure jobs abroad. One father of three from Kiambu County said he had been promised a military job in Russia with a salary of Sh250,000.
