Kipruto Kirwa: Kenya aiding Sudan’s RSF to smuggle minerals, buy arms
By Cynthia Lodite, August 7, 2025Former Agriculture Minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa has called out President William Ruto’s role in facilitating illegal activities by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), calling for a more holistic and accountable approach to foreign policy and regional engagement.
Kirwa, while speaking to K24 Amka Kenya Morning show on Thursday, August 7, 2025, claimed that RSF operatives have been using Kenyan territory to transport minerals.
In addition, Kirwa revealed that the proceeds from the transported resources are allegedly being used to purchase arms, fueling the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
“You can not deal with one rebel group, give them some type of sanctuary here within the country, allow them to have a platform,” Kirwa said.
Similarly, Kirwa further accused the government of being a habitat of the ongoing fights in South Sudan by taking part in the transportation of the minerals.
“Kenya has been a habitat of crimes committed because when those minerals are exported through Kenya, the proceeds are used to buy firearms,” Kirwa revealed.
Meanwhile, he has argued that he minerals trade, while seemingly economic on the surface, has deeper geopolitical implications, also adding that when it comes to state-to-state kind of acting, the government needs to be holistic.
“When it comes to state-to-state kind of acting, you need to be holistic. We know RSF have been doing what they are doing in Sudan by transporting some minerals through Kenya. The proceeds from those minerals buy arms,” said Kirwa.
Kenya’s global ties review
Notably, his remarks come amid growing criticism from analysts and lawmakers who argue that Kenya’s foreign policy lacks clarity and coherence, especially in the context of involvement in international crises, such as Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Likewise, his remarks sparked up just a day after President William Ruto defended his diplomatic relations with other countries like the US, China on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
At the time, the Head of State acknowledged that the growing economic relationship with China had caused unease among some of Kenya’s traditional allies, including the United States, especially given Nairobi’s designation as a major non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ally last year.
Worth noting, according to reports, U.S. Senator James Risch had proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which seeks to review Kenya’s designation for its foreign and diplomatic policies, such as its alignment with major U.S. adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran.
“It’s partly why I have a bit of a problem with some of our friends, but it is what I must do for Kenya,” Ruto admitted. Further adding that it’s in the best interest of Kenya that the country gets into this market.
At the time, the President announced that China had agreed to lift all tariffs on key Kenyan agricultural exports, including tea, coffee, and avocados, a major trade milestone, even as Nairobi’s dalliance with Beijing.