Kenya-RSF links: Questions emerge on how Sudan's warlord owns Kenyan passport

It has emerged that Kenya’s immigration officials aided one of Sudan’s most powerful warlords to secure a Kenyan passport to facilitate his movements internationally while evading existing sanctions. 

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has revealed that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa is facing US sanctions and, shockingly, is documented as holding a Kenyan passport (AK1586127) among multiple other identities. 

The alarming revelation implies the key RSF figure travelled, moved money, or accessed international systems at will, armed with Kenyan documentation.

Algoney is the younger brother of the dreaded Sudanese paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. 

Official records show that he was born on August 7, 1990, in Nayala North, Sudan, and his key role at RSF, according to US sources, was sourcing of weapons, vehicles, and logistical support as well as coordinating financial networks for the paramilitary outfit responsible for grave human rights abuses. 

In addition to the Kenyan passport, he is also documented as holding two different Sudanese passports that authorities say could have aided him in bypassing travel restrictions and obscure identity while accessing international financial and logistical networks. 

READ: US Senate pushes for designation of Sudan's RSF as terrorist group

Following the lifting of the lid, The Standard has learnt that Kenyan authorities are reportedly unsettled as scrutiny begins on immigration and passport records to understand how Algoney’s documents were issued and whether any irregularities occurred. 

Our efforts to get a comment from the Immigration Department over this matter, however, proved futile as our calls to top officials went unanswered. 

An officer who works at the passport section and who requested anonymity, however, said the issue is now “a big deal” at the registry department. 

“It’s a valid passport number, but I can’t comment further. I know things are not looking good,” she said. 

Other RSF officials on the US radar and facing sanctions include Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam (Idris), also known as “Abu Lulu,” an RSF brigadier general who filmed himself in El-Fasher killing unarmed civilians and bragging about killing thousands. 

Also on the list is Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed (Gedo), also known as “Abu Shok,” an RSF major general who has served as the commander for North Darfur since 2021, and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed (Tijani), also known as “Al Zeir Salem,” an RSF field commander. 

Some international human rights organisations, including the United Nations, and independent investigators have documented a long list of abuses committed by the RSF that spanned mass killings, sexual violence, to attacks on hospitals, schools, and refugee camps.  

Reports of civilians having been forcibly displaced, looted, and terrorised have been cited, as RSF consolidates control over strategic regions. 

“This is far beyond what one would call an immigration issue, but a serious matter of national security. Whether the passport was obtained through fraud or connections, it signals serious institutional weaknesses that must be confronted head-on,” observes Dr Luchetu Likaka, a governance and security analyst. 

Last year, President William Ruto faced both local and international backlash for hosting leaders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nairobi, as critics pointed an accusing finger at his administration for providing not just political support but also a logistical platform to operate at will. 

“It is not going to be easy to clean up our name. This development attracts lots of scrutiny on Kenya. Kenya has no option but to open a serious investigation into how Algoney got a Kenyan passport. His profile calls for a serious probe at the Immigration Department and heads must roll,” observes Chris Otieno, a Nairobi-based security consultant. 

Sudan’s government condemned the meetings, recalling its ambassador in protest and accusing Kenya of interference in its internal affairs. At the same time, Sudan banned Kenyan tea, leading to massive revenue losses running into billions of shillings, severely impacting Kenyan farmers and traders. 

Some political voices in Kenya went further, alleging potential personal or commercial ties between Ruto and RSF leaders, including murky claims around gold trade networks linked to RSF financing. 

Ruto and his administration have consistently rejected these allegations, insisting that the meetings were aimed at facilitating dialogue and peace and not endorsing a paramilitary group, and that Kenya’s role was strictly diplomatic. 

“We already have a bad name as a country out there as far as Sudan–RSF issues are concerned. We are still not off the hook yet with the Minnesota scandals, and this again emerges. We need to think of engaging in serious diplomatic interventions to save our country from facing serious international sanctions,” observes Otieno. 

According to Dr Likaka, there must be full disclosure from the Kenyan authorities over the passport scandal. 

ALSO READ: Explainer: Sudan's RSF and its ties to Kenya

“Failure to act on the part of Kenya will entrench the perception that Kenya’s systems can be exploited by sanctioned actors and war profiteers,” he stated. 

The disturbing details yet again shine the international spotlight on Nairobi as possibly harbouring links to one of Sudan’s most notorious military networks, raising questions about how Kenyan identity documents could be used intentionally or inadvertently to facilitate international conflict.

The global scrutiny now threatens to expose the country to secondary sanctions if Algoney’s networks are properly traced to the heart of Kenyan systems. 

“The question is how many more questionable passports have been issued in similar fashion,” poses Otieno. 

Not long ago, Kenya was prominently featured in ongoing investigations into the massive Covid-19 fraud scandal in Minnesota, particularly the case involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future program. 

US prosecutors allege more than $250 million meant to feed vulnerable children during the pandemic was stolen through fake meal programs, shell companies, and falsified claims, and transferred to Kenya in real estate, luxury goods, and business investments, claims that have repeatedly also thrust the country into murky investigations touching on illicit financial flows and allegations of international money laundering.