Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has stirred controversy after alleging that he personally facilitated a meeting between President William Ruto and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV’s The Explainer show, Gachagua linked his claims to a U.S. Senate amendment bill sponsored by Senator James Risch, which seeks to review Kenya’s designation as a major non-NATO ally over concerns about the country’s foreign relations and alleged ties to extremist groups.
According to Gachagua, the meeting occurred when Hemedti was serving as Sudan’s deputy president. He claimed that Ruto instructed him to sign an official invitation letter to Hemedti and later tasked him with overseeing the visit.
“President William Ruto has a working relationship with Hemedti. I am the one who facilitated the meeting between President Ruto and Hemedti on his request, because diplomatically a President cannot invite a Deputy President to visit him,” Gachagua stated.
He revealed that he personally received Hemedti at the airport, escorted him to Ruto, and sat in on the meeting. While the discussions were official, Gachagua alleged that the two leaders primarily focused on trade matters, particularly business dealings and gold.
Gachagua further challenged President Ruto to respond directly to allegations linking him to extremist groups such as Al-Shabaab, dismissing Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s defense.
“Ruto has a mouth; he can answer whether he met Al-Shabaab or not. Kipchumba Murkomen is not the spokesman for William Ruto,” he said.
Addressing criticism over earlier remarks that allegedly branded Mandera residents as terrorists, Gachagua clarified that his comments were aimed at the president, not the community.
He added that he possesses crucial information regarding ongoing U.S. investigations into the matter and would provide it if formally requested.
“I have a lot of information available to those investigating. It is a matter before the U.S. Senate, not Kenya, hence I will not volunteer information to bodies that are not investigating,” Gachagua emphasized.
The explosive claims are likely to heighten political tension and put further scrutiny on Kenya’s foreign policy engagements.
