Kenya has denied sending arms used in the hostilities in the neighbouring Sudan, distancing itself from allegations raised in a recent exposé by NTV.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura dismissed claims that Kenya supplied illicit weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), stating that the country’s role in Sudan is strictly limited to humanitarian assistance and support for peace processes. “Kenya is supporting the peace process through IGAD. Any other assertion is mere conjecture. We have no business with the claims being made out there,” he said.
Mwaura, speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, further stated that Kenya, like any sovereign nation, is free to engage in legitimate trade partnerships, adding that the allegations being circulated have no factual basis.
He revealed that the government had donated Ksh256 million (approximately USD 2 million) to aid Sudan’s ongoing peace initiatives and support humanitarian interventions for civilians affected by the conflict.
Reaffirming Kenya’s neutral stance, Mwaura emphasised that the country remains non-aligned and is willing to host both the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF to facilitate peace talks.
He also called for a harmonised peace framework involving the African Union and United Nations, similar to the Ushirika model adopted in South Sudan.
The allegations against Kenya emerged from a joint investigation by NTV and open-source intelligence platform Bellingcat, which revealed images of Kenyan-labelled ammunition crates allegedly found in a captured RSF depot near Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.
While the contents of every crate could not be independently verified, nearby ammunition matching the labels indicating arms either bought or sent to Kenya for the Ministry of Defence, was displayed by the Sudanese Armed Forces in the now viral videos.
In response, the Ministry of Defence denied any connection to the weapons saying it could not identify the crates. “Upon examination of the photographs provided, we wish to state that we do not recognise the crates nor the inscriptions on them,” the ministry to Nation.
According to the probe by the two institutions, the ministry appeared to address only domestically manufactured arms and did not clarify whether Kenya had made any weapons imports, exports, or transfers that might explain the presence of the crates in Sudan, leaving critical questions about the alleged link unanswered.
On March 14, the government of Sudan suspended all imports from Kenya following the latter's decision to host the RSF, a rebel group currently fighting the Sudanese army for control of the country.
Sudan announced the immediate restriction of all imports from Kenya, barring entry via ports, railways, and air transport.
"The import of all products from Kenya via all ports, crossings, airports, and entry points is suspended starting from this date until further notice," read part of the letter by Sudan's Acting Minister of Trade and Supplies, Omar Ahmed Mohamed Ali.
The Acting Minister stated that the decision was due to Kenya's defiant act of hosting and sponsoring the rebel group in Nairobi, adding that the move was aimed at protecting Sudan’s national interests and security.
