Ruto is the real commander of Sudan’s RSF, Gachagua says 

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua sensationally branded President William Ruto “the real commander” of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over alleged shady business deals with the paramilitary group’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemedti.

There was no immediate comment from State House.

Ruto has more than twice hosted the RSF commander in Nairobi. The RSF commander has been sanctioned over the chaos in Sudan.

Gachagua claims Ruto has been conducting gold trade with Hemedti so that the RSF leader can acquire money to buy firearms for the paramilitary force.

This comes RSF’s ongoing war with Sudan’s army for the past two years.

“The real commander of RSF is not Hemedti, it is William Ruto. The money from gold is being cleaned through Kenya to buy firearms,” Gachagua told KTN in a Monday night interview.

He claims the purported dealings go back to 2023 when Ruto allegedly coerced him into inviting Hemedti on an official visit to Kenya.

“Ruto called me to his office and said, diplomatically, a president can only invite another president for a visit. But he had a vice president he wanted to invite to Kenya, so he wanted me to do it on his behalf,” Gachagua said.

“He had a letter, which I signed and after Hemeti came, we discussed about the Kenya and Sudan, then I took him to the President… Later on, I realised they are doing business.”

Gachagua alleges Ruto later directed him to invite Hemedti again, which he purportedly refused on grounds of the numerous sanctions against the RSF leader by other countries over the war, which to date has killed 150,000 people and forced more than 11 million others from their homes.

“I told him that as a father and a Christian, I cannot be a part of it and cannot invite him,” said Gachagua.

“He told me I must invite him and asked me, Do you know how much I will lose by you not inviting him here?”

The former DP claims he refused to yield to his then-boss’s demands, after which his forged signature was purportedly used to invite Hemedti.

The visit was eventually withdrawn after Gachagua confronted Ruto about it and threatened not to host the RSF leader, claims Gachagua.

“He told me, You will see me!” he said, claiming Ruto accused him of blackmail.

“I am available to give evidence. I ask the international community to sanction William Ruto, and the Sudan crisis will be solved. Sanctioning Hemedti is pointless,” the former DP added.

The damning allegations come just over a month after Kenya hosted RSF and allied groups in Nairobi to sign a transitional constitution, taking them closer to forming a parallel government.

It led to Sudan indefinitely suspending all imports from Kenya to “protect its national interests and security concerns”, which Kenya downplayed as a “gross overreaction.”

Gachagua also dismissed allegations that he demanded Sh10 billion from President William Ruto following the 2022 General Election to coordinate political activities in the Mt. Kenya region.

Gachagua described the allegations as baseless and a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation, particularly in his Central Kenya stronghold.

“I never blackmailed the President. If that were the case, it would have been the first charge during the efforts to force me out of office,” Gachagua said, adding that the impeachment narrative against him was orchestrated by President Ruto, the National Intelligence Service, and the then Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki.

He questioned the shifting explanations given for his removal from office, accusing the President and his allies of telling different stories depending on the region under consideration.

“In Western Kenya, he said I was incompetent and tribal. In North Eastern, he claimed I was divisive. In Nyanza, he called me primitive and corrupt,” Gachagua stated. “But when he came to Mt. Kenya, none of that was mentioned. Instead, he claimed I had asked for Sh10 billion.”

Gachagua also accused members of the President’s inner circle, including digital strategist Dennis Itumbi and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, of previously presenting conflicting figures about the alleged funds.

He dismissed the allegations entirely, asserting that he had financially supported Ruto’s presidential campaign out of personal commitment.

“I was in trouble with the previous administration because I was funding Ruto’s campaign,” he explained.

“They froze my accounts, blocked my businesses, and tried to stop me. I invested heavily in his campaign—I’m not the type to go around asking him for money.”

He also criticized a recent event in which Ruto reportedly met with a group of female dancers from Central Kenya and presented them with Sh8,000 each.

According to Gachagua, the women were allegedly told to accept the money because the former deputy president had wanted to “eat it alone”—a narrative he described as dishonest and manipulative.

The allegations against Gachagua resurfaced last week, during President Ruto’s five-day tour of Central Kenya.

In a roundtable interview with vernacular stations, the president claimed that tensions between him and his then-deputy began shortly after assuming office, primarily due to Gachagua’s confrontations with key allies, including blogger Dennis Itumbi and MPs Ndindi Nyoro and Kimani Ichung’wah.

“I asked him, ‘Why are you fighting with Itumbi, my PA Farouk, and these young leaders? What’s the need for such small battles?’” Ruto recounted.

The President went on to claim that Gachagua had threatened him with political repercussions unless he released Sh10 billion to help build regional support.