![Kenya's former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua speaks during a press conference in Nairobi on October 7, 2024. [Photo by REUTERS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/XOFA3QOUYNNAFA27MCZWDA7NWI.jpg?resize=1024%2C675&quality=89&ssl=1)
In a televised interview, Gachagua claimed, “The real leader of the Rapid Support Forces is not Hemedti; it’s William Ruto. He is helping them clean their gold money through our country.”
Gachagua, removed from office last year following a senate vote on corruption allegations he dismisses as politically motivated, said Ruto had pressured him to invite Daglo, also known as Hemedti, to Nairobi.
Daglo was then deputy chair of Sudan’s Sovereign Council before the 2023 civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
“I am calling on the international community to impose sanctions on William Ruto. That will solve Sudan’s crisis,” Gachagua said. “Sanctioning Hemedti is pointless.”
The allegations come amid rising tensions between Nairobi and Khartoum after Kenya hosted a summit criticized as an attempt to establish a parallel administration in RSF-controlled areas.
Sudan’s foreign ministry condemned the event, accusing Kenya of fragmenting Sudan and supporting the RSF, which has been accused by the United States of genocide.
In response, Sudan withdrew its ambassador from Nairobi and halted Kenyan tea imports.
Kenya’s government defended the summit as a “platform for dialogue” to support Sudanese peace efforts. Officials have not responded directly to Gachagua’s allegations.
Observers say Gachagua’s unverified claims could complicate Kenya’s role as a mediator in the conflict, as Ruto has positioned himself as a regional peace broker.
The allegations of gold-linked financial laundering involving a sitting president and a sanctioned Sudanese paramilitary are likely to draw international scrutiny.
