Political scandal in Kenya: President Ruto accused of cooperation with Russian oligarch

A major scandal has erupted in Kenya surrounding President William Ruto and his tree-planting program. Two former high-ranking officials of the country have accused Ruto of participating in the laundering of money belonging to Russian oligarchs.

Since December 2022, Kenya has been implementing a large-scale tree-planting program. According to this project, the country is expected to plant a total of 15 billion tree seedlings by 2032. This initiative was adopted within the framework of the Paris Agreement on climate change. However, it is now being reported that these plans are not being carried out on schedule.

Former Vice President Rigathi Gachagua stated that this program is actually a “money-laundering scheme” involving Russian oligarchs. He confirmed the earlier statements made by former Minister of Public Services and former Attorney General Justin Muturi.

In his statement, Muturi harshly criticized Ruto, claiming that the president forced him to sign a $1 billion contract with Russian investors for planting 3 billion trees, bypassing the national treasury. According to him, Ruto is “so corrupt that he cannot be reformed” and is unfit to hold the presidency.

There are also concerns in Kenya that part of the funds may be returned to the Russian oligarchs.

Muturi also stated that he first came under intense pressure in December 2023 during the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. He claims that he was forced to sign the contract right at the airport without reviewing any documents. However, he refused, citing procedural violations.

The name of the Russian oligarch involved in this controversial deal may also have been revealed. According to local journalist Mwangi Maina, this person is most likely Dmitry Mazepin — the owner of the Russian companies “Uralchem” and “Uralkali.” Maina reports that the protocol service of the president’s administration received Mazepin’s plane, and this visit was directly linked to the tree-planting program.

The “Uralkali” company has been supplying fertilizers to Kenya for many years. However, in 2022, due to sanctions against Russia, 262,000 tons of fertilizers owned by “Uralchem” were left stranded in the European Union. In April 2023, part of these fertilizers was delivered to Kenya as humanitarian aid through the World Food Programme.

In June 2024, President Ruto made a decision to exempt investments in the tree-planting program from money-laundering checks. It is known that the country itself does not have enough funds to implement such large-scale projects. Ruto plans to finance this through carbon credits, which he referred to as “Africa’s new gold mine.”

Carbon credits allow polluting enterprises to operate without paying penalties. Through this mechanism, Ruto hoped to attract large sums of investment into the country.

Currently, this scandal is being actively discussed in Kenyan society, and it is said that it may lead to a serious political crisis for President Ruto. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!