Gachagua: I refused to help Ruto launder gold for Sudan warlord

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accused President William Ruto of pressuring him to facilitate diplomatic visits for the leader of Sudan’s paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohammed Hamdani Daglo, also known as Hemedti despite international sanctions against him.

Gachagua, during an interview with KTN, detailed an incident in 2023 when President Ruto allegedly summoned him to State House with an unusual request.

According to Gachagua, Ruto explained that, under diplomatic protocol, a president can only invite a fellow head of state for an official visit. Since Hemedti was serving as Sudan’s vice president and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Ruto asked Gachagua to extend the invitation on his behalf.

“I signed that letter, and Hemedti came. We met and discussed Kenya and Sudan, but that was not the real purpose of the visit,” Gachagua said.

He claimed that it later became apparent Hemedti was using Kenya to launder gold smuggled from conflict zones in Sudan, which was then allegedly sold in the Middle East to finance arms purchases.

Gachagua emphasised that the proceeds were used to further the war in Sudan, resulting in mass killings and the displacement of civilians.

“When it became clear to me that the international community had imposed sanctions on Hemedti for crimes against humanity, I refused to be part of it,” Gachagua said. “I told the President, ‘This man is a butcher of women and children. I am a father. I am a Christian. I will not invite him again.’”

Despite his refusal, Gachagua alleged that his signature was later forged to issue a second invitation to Hemedti.

“I confronted the president and told him that if this man lands in the country with a letter bearing my forged signature, I will publicly disown him,” he said.

According to Gachagua, the visit was eventually cancelled.

On January 07, 2025, the US imposed sanctions on Hemedti for committing ‘genocide’ in Darfur. However, by this time, Gachagua had already been impeached as the deputy president.

The move by the US to sanction Hemedti is the first direct penalty to the topmost leader of a warring faction in Sudan, whose war against the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has led to more than 20,000 deaths since April 2023.

"For nearly two years, Hemedti’s RSF has engaged in a brutal armed conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan, killing tens of thousands, displacing 12 million Sudanese, and triggering widespread starvation," the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement.

OFAC also sanctioned seven companies and one individual linked to the RSF.

"The RSF's ability to acquire military equipment and generate finances continues to fuel the conflict in Sudan. Capital Tap Holding L.L.C. (Capital Tap Holding), based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has provided money and weapons to the RSF," OFAC added.

Other Topics To Read

• National
• President William Ruto
• Rigathi Gachagua
• Sudan Conflict
• Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
• Gachagua: I refused to help Ruto launder gold for Sudan warlord
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“The United States continues to call for an end to this conflict that is putting innocent civilian lives in jeopardy,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo. “The Treasury Department remains committed to using every tool available to hold accountable those responsible for violating the human rights of the Sudanese people.”