NAIROBI, Kenya — A leading U.S.-based human rights organisation has raised concerns over reports that Kenyan authorities issued passports to individuals linked to Sudan’s paramilitary groups and financiers accused of supporting the country’s ongoing conflict.
The Human Rights Foundation, headquartered in New York, said it was alarmed by allegations that Kenya had granted identity and travel documents to individuals associated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group involved in Sudan’s brutal civil war.
In a statement posted on its official account on X (formerly Twitter), the organisation criticised what it described as Kenya’s decision to issue passports to sanctioned Sudanese figures linked to the conflict.
The rights group said such actions could potentially allow individuals accused of financing or facilitating violence in Sudan to circumvent international sanctions.
The development comes amid growing controversy in Kenya over claims that immigration authorities issued passports to more than 25 Sudanese nationals, some of whom are reportedly under international sanctions.
Among those named is Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa, a Sudanese national said to be the younger brother of RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
Both men have faced international sanctions over allegations that they helped finance and procure weapons for the paramilitary group during the Sudan conflict, which has been marked by reports of ethnically motivated killings and widespread sexual violence.
The controversy intensified after a leaked list reportedly originating from Kenya’s immigration authorities showed that passports were issued or being processed for several foreign nationals between August 2024 and February 2026.
The list allegedly includes Sudanese nationals linked to the RSF as well as a Zimbabwean national accused of corruption in his home country.
The revelations have sparked widespread criticism from Kenyan civil society groups and political leaders who warn that the controversy could damage the international credibility of the Kenyan passport.
Human rights activist Boniface Mwangi strongly criticised the alleged practice.
“They are selling the Kenyan passports for the price of peanuts,” he said.
Critics have also questioned whether the passport approvals complied with Kenya’s immigration and citizenship laws.
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Despite mounting public pressure, Kenyan authorities have yet to issue a detailed explanation.
The Department of Immigration and Citizen Services, led by Director General Evelyn Cheluget, has not publicly clarified the allegations.
Similarly, Kipchumba Murkomen, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, has not issued a comprehensive response regarding the claims.
Analysts say the intervention by an international human rights organisation could intensify scrutiny on the Kenyan government as questions grow about how the documents were issued and whether due diligence procedures were followed.
The passport controversy comes at a sensitive moment for Kenya’s diplomatic standing, as the country has positioned itself as a regional mediator in the Sudan conflict while simultaneously facing accusations of political alignment with factions involved in the war.
