Gold or to maintain power? Martha Karua questions Ruto's intentions amid RSF presence in Kenya

Speaking on Citizen TV's JKLive show on Wednesday, Karua demanded that President Ruto clarify the purpose of RSF’s activities in Kenya. She warned that their presence could further destabilize the country's already fragile security situation.

“Maybe he (President Ruto) is hoping to one day use the RSF to maintain power. He must explain why they are here. What does he want from them? Is it gold from Darfur? Is he considering a rogue, unofficial force in Kenya?” Karua questioned.

Her remarks come amid growing security concerns, with reports of abductions and disappearances of political figures and activists. She suggested that foreign elements, possibly including the RSF, could be involved in these cases.

“We previously stated that abductors in Kenya include foreigners. Can he (Ruto) clarify whether the RSF are among them? At that time, we had information that some individuals from neighbouring East African countries were involved. Can he confirm if these are the same people?” Karua added.

The veteran politician and former presidential candidate further alleged that insecurity in Kenya has worsened since Ruto took office in 2022, arguing that removing his government would be the ultimate solution.

“It’s as if the moment Dr. William Ruto assumed power, insecurity surged. The solution to insecurity in Kenya is the removal of the Kenya Kwanza (KK) regime,” she asserted.

Karua also raised concerns about the safety of foreigners in Kenya, citing the alleged abduction of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye in Nairobi. “The security of foreigners in Kenya is compromised too. Besigye was abducted from Nairobi,” she claimed.

President Ruto’s administration has faced sharp criticism both locally and internationally for allowing the RSF—accused of war crimes and human rights abuses in Sudan—to operate in Kenya.

The RSF has been implicated in numerous atrocities, including killings, torture, and looting, particularly during Sudan’s civil conflicts. More recently, the RSF has been locked in a brutal power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) amid Sudan's ongoing conflict.

Last Friday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed Kenya’s justification for hosting the RSF, rejecting a defense mounted by Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi. Sudan’s government insisted that Kenya’s actions and President Ruto’s engagement with the RSF were unjustifiable.

“This hostile and irresponsible move cannot be justified by referring to the previous hosting of the Machakos negotiations, as those talks were between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) under IGAD and with international sponsorship,” Sudan’s foreign ministry stated.

On Sunday, the RSF and its allies announced plans to form a parallel government despite warnings that such a move could further fragment the war-ravaged country.

“The charter has been signed,” confirmed Najm al-Din Drisa, spokesman for the United Civil Forces, one of the signatories.

The agreement, signed behind closed doors in Nairobi, establishes a so-called “government of peace and unity” in RSF-controlled areas of Sudan.