Leaders of the Opposition have demanded urgent parliamentary and criminal probes into the alleged sale of Kenyan passports and the recruitment of citizens to fight in the war in Russia.
They are also calling for a public account of all Kenyans involved in foreign conflicts and immediate government-funded return of citizens stranded in the Middle East.
Speaking in Meru on Saturday, Kalonzo Musyoka, leader of the Wiper Democratic Front, said the government’s actions endanger Kenya’s security, international reputation, and democratic future. The opposition is holding a three-day public engagement event in the town that began on Friday.
Joining Musyoka were Rigathi Gachagua, leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP); Mithika Linturi, national organising secretary; and Justin Muturi, leader of the Democratic Party.
They warned that Kenya is at risk of becoming a pariah state, blaming the Office of the President, the Ministry of Interior, the National Intelligence Service, and the Immigration Department for the alleged irregularities.
The opposition claims that government officials have issued travel documents irregularly, recruited Kenyan youth for combat abroad, neglected citizens stranded overseas, violated human rights, and facilitated the activities of sanctioned individuals.
Musyoka said their assertions are supported by credible diplomatic sources and reports.
“The United Alternative Government is outraged by credible evidence that the Ruto-led regime has engaged in the irregular issuance and de facto auctioning of Kenyan passports and identity documents to foreign nationals, including alleged drug lords, human traffickers, and rebel group leaders facing international sanctions,” Musyoka said.
The allegations follow reports that Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, brother to Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed Hamdan, also known as Hemedti, holds a Kenyan passport and is listed on a US sanctions notice.
Opposition leaders claim Kenya’s dealings with sanctioned warlords have effectively turned the government into a “criminal enterprise.”
Musyoka warned that Kenyans may face stricter checks at borders and delays in visa processing.
“Beyond passport integrity, the illegal issuance of identity documents to foreign nationals forms part of a calculated plan to rig Kenya’s 2027 general election and deploy foreign militias to suppress Kenyan voters...” he said, also calling on the government to acknowledge its role in trafficking youths to fight in the Russia–Ukraine war.
The opposition further criticised the government for failing to assist citizens trapped in the Middle East amid escalating tensions involving Israel, the US, and Iran.
“We are deeply disturbed by reports that the Kenyan government has, on several occasions, demanded that stranded citizens purchase their own return tickets as a condition for repatriation assistance. This is unconscionable and a fundamental dereliction of the state’s duty of care to its citizens abroad,” the statement said.
Leaders also accused the administration of allowing Kenya to be used as a base by regional and international criminal networks. Musyoka highlighted instances of forced removals and illegal renditions of activists, politicians, and visitors, including Uganda’s Kizza Besigye.
“The abduction and rendition of Uganda’s Kizza Besigye stands as a particularly alarming example of how far this regime will go in serving the interests of foreign principals over Kenya’s own constitutional and legal obligations,” he said, adding that such actions have undermined Kenya’s reputation as a neutral mediator in regional conflicts.
“The role which was hardearned over generations of principled diplomacy, is now being systematically destroyed by one man’s greed and contempt for Kenya’s national interest,” Musyoka concluded.