The Kenyan government is facing severe criticism and escalating political pressure following its decision to issue Kenyan passports to several high-ranking members of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The paramilitary group is currently under US sanctions and stands accused by the UN Fact-Finding Mission of committing gross human rights violations, including targeted killings and ethnically motivated cleansing.
A detailed list containing the names of 21 individuals, 20 of whom are Sudanese nationals, was recently leaked earlier this week by Kenya’s former Vice President, Rigathi Gachagua. Speaking to the Kenyan media, Gachagua vehemently criticized the move, describing the individuals as “warlords and international criminals who are now traveling with Kenyan passports,” sparking a major domestic and regional controversy.
The leaked list, which was published on the official Facebook account of the former Vice President Rigathi Gachagua, includes at least six immediate members of the family of RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). Most notably, the list featured the RSF’s second-in-command, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, alongside Hasabo Mohamed Abdelrahman, the former Sudanese Vice President under the Omar al-Bashir regime, who currently serves as the chief political advisor to the RSF commander.
However, the Kenyan government has strongly denied any legal wrongdoing, defending its executive decision to grant passports to certain foreign nationals linked to the Sudanese RSF. According to Radio Tamazuj, Kenyan authorities argued that these essential travel documents were issued strictly under exceptional humanitarian circumstances and as an integral part of Nairobi’s broader regional peace initiatives.
Furthermore, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Korir Sing’Oei, confirmed that Kenya has historically facilitated the travel of individuals fleeing deadly conflicts in neighboring states, dismissed all allegations of unlawful passport issuance. Speaking during a live interview on the JKLive show on Citizen TV, Sing’Oei stated: “This is not unprecedented. Under exceptional circumstances, persons facing dire conditions may be permitted to travel using our passports.”
