Criminals’ playground: Why Kenya is a preferred safe haven for shady foreigners
But even more interesting is the number of people with a questionable past that are being hosted by President William Ruto

Kenya has in recent days found herself in the spotlight for hosting foreigners involved in criminal activities in their home countries, even allowing them to have briefings in Nairobi.
From warlords, cyber criminals, fake gold scammer, money launderers ( wash wash guys) to murderers and sexual criminals evading justice, Nairobi and other Kenyans cities such as Mombasa have for years been places to run to to evade the long arm of the law for individuals with money.
But even more interesting is the number of people with a questionable past that are being hosted by President William Ruto.
The story of Kenya being a playground for criminal characters is not new. From harbouring Rwandan businessman and genocide suspect Félicien Kabuga (who a United Nations trial chamber in 2023 determined he was no longer capable of meaningful participation at age 90 after decades of evading justice most of which he lived in Kenya), Somalia warlords, and other criminals; many men of questionable integrity call Kenya home.
Indeed, most of those behind chaos in countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere have found a safe haven in the country’s capital city, away from the death and turmoil of the lands they fight to liberate.
Recently, for instance, Kenya hosted Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the leader of the Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Hemedti abruptly canceled a scheduled press conference in Nairobi after keeping journalists waiting for an hour due to pressure from Washington to President William Ruto.
The US had sanctioned Hemedti, an ally of President Ruto, over his involvement in RSF’s violent actions against the civil population in Sudan.
RSF had planned to publicly deny international accusations of genocide including the US sanctions during the canceled address.
The US has condemned the RSF for its widespread human rights violations against civilians and continues to hold Hemetti accountable for his role in the violence.
Washington, which named Kenya a major Non-NATO ally in May, has accused the group of committing genocide.
Since April 2023, the RSF has been engaged in intense conflict with Sudanese military forces, and the group, along with its allied militias, has been accused of committing war crimes, particularly targeting non-Arab communities in Darfur.
In early November 2024, President Ruto reportedly traveled to Juba, accompanied by Abdulrahim Dagalo, the sanctioned RSF deputy commander and Hemetti’s brother.
The Sudanese military, operating out of Port Sudan, has frequently accused Nairobi of providing support to the RSF.
Earlier this month, President Ruto hosted a delegation including former congressman Mark Deli Siljander who previously served imprisonment in the US, and South Sudanese politician Albino Mathom Abuog who has previously faced scrutiny by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
This raises queries about the growing list of State guests with questionable past dealings.
In 2012, Siljander was convicted for obstructing justice and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for a charity that was blacklisted by the US government due to their linkage with terrorist acts.
The 73-year-old, a former congressman and author is an ally of President Donald Trump and was convicted in 2012 for obstructing justice by lying about his ties and Al Qaeda.
He was hired in 2004 by Islamic Relief Agency (IARA) which had been blacklisted by the US Senate for being the financier of Al Qaeda.
He was hired by the lobby so that the senate could remove them from the blacklist and be reinstated to the US government contractors.
IARA sent US$1 million to Iraq against the sanctions that were in place.
In 2008, Siljander lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) that the money he received from IARA was meant to help him in his authorship but later admitted to lying.
He was sentenced to serve one year and one day in prison for the lie.
President Trump pardoned Siljander citing his stand against abortion as the reason.
In the US, Pardon returns civil freedom to convicts including holding public offices.
On the other hand, Abuog has been under investigation by the anti-corruption watchdog over the funds he allegedly received from the former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo from land that had disputed transactions.
Abuog was a special envoy for South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir but was later relieved of the duties with observers saying that it happened because of the behind-the-scene happenings in Peace talks for South Sudan dubbed the Tumaini initiative.
Despite all this record, President Ruto went ahead and posted photos of their meeting on his social handles while the US Embassy did not mention anything about the lawmaker’s visit to the country as they have done in the past concerning official delegations.
President Ruto has drawn criticism over some of the individuals he has hosted.
Earlier this month, he also welcomed controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo at his Sugoi home.
Chivayo’s Gwanda Solar Power is behind the construction of a US$172 million (Ksh 22.2 billion) solar power plant in Zimbabwe, which stalled.
He was also accused of impropriety in a $40 million tender for the supply of electoral materials.
In March 2023, President Ruto hosted 10 officials of Bridgin Foundation, a Belgian charity that has over 10 years traversed the world, promising to fund multimillion-dollar projects.
Bridgin Foundation promised to put up a us$1 billion hospital city in Malawi.
The Malawi government has since started budgeting for the use of tax-payer funds for the construction of some of the promised infrastructure, following unfulfilled promises by the Bridgin Foundation.
The charity has no permanent office and its website has no information on its financiers. There is no record of any completed projects by the charity.
Nairobi has also been a haven for gold scammers with cases rising since 2022.
Many have lost millions of dollars to bling-bling-wearing fraudsters, who have tentacles and partners across Africa — from Kampala to Lagos, Kinshasa to Niamey.
Their victims are mostly foreigners who, after realizing they were conned, resort to court cases that drag on in Kenya.
The suspects make their victims believe that they are top government officials or work with them for faster delivery of gold consignments.
They mostly operate in Kilimani, and Nairobi, and have recently moved to opulent areas of the city such as Karen and Kileleshwa.
The offices of the scammers are always flashy, well furnished with real or fake gold-plated chairs and tables, and they drive around in the latest top-of-the-range vehicles. They will fly them to Kampala in Uganda or even Dubai in the United Arab Emirates just to prove that theirs is a genuine business.
In the numerous cases in Nairobi courts, plaintiffs have testified how they were even taken to the Department of Mining and Geology laboratories, where smelting of real gold is conducted, to see that the business is genuine.
They would also be allowed to weigh the consignments and seal them only to end up with fake gold bars.
A few years ago, the Kilimani neighbourhood in Nairobi was worried that one of the most feared Somalia warlords with links to the opposition trying to overthrow Mogadishu government was living so openly in the upmarket estate thanks to connivance with Kenyan security.
General Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan is so feared in Somalia that few would dare cross his path.
Some neighbours with security connections know his background but feared annoying his well-connected masters.
With the relationship between Somalia and Kenya ‘Improving’ the Country had set to open the borders after a long time but postponed to uncertainty due to security reasons.