NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto has said that part of the financing for the 2019 DusitD2 terror attack in Nairobi was traced to banks in Somalia, along with financial institutions in South Africa and Kenya.
Speaking during the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Prosecuting Agencies Conference in Mombasa, President Ruto highlighted the transnational nature of terrorist financing, stating: “Financing, facilitation, and commission are transboundary in nature. For instance, during the Dusit terror attack, financing was traced to a bank in South Africa, various banks within Kenya, and Somalia.”
The President did not name any specific financial institutions in Somalia or elsewhere or disclose further details regarding the transactions. Somali authorities have not issued a public response as of this report, and no Somali banks have been formally named in Kenyan court records related to the attack.
The latest remarks come from diplomatic relations between Kenya and Somalia, which have experienced periods of tension, including disputes over maritime boundaries, trade restrictions, and military cooperation. Although ties have recently improved, sensitive security issues continue to test bilateral trust between neighbors.
Sources close to regulatory institutions in Mogadishu have expressed concern over the broad nature of the allegation. Officials say no specific Somali bank was named, and no formal communication has been made to Somali authorities regarding the claim.
The DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi’s Riverside area was attacked on January 15, 2019, when five militants linked to the al-Shabaab group carried out a coordinated assault involving a car bomb and gunfire. The incident left 21 people dead, including Kenyan and foreign nationals, and more than 30 others injured. Kenyan security forces killed all five attackers during the rescue operation.
Since the attack, Kenyan prosecutors have pursued multiple terrorism-related cases. In May 2025, two individuals were convicted for assisting the attackers. Their sentencing is scheduled for June 19, 2025. Additionally, in 2019, three people were found guilty in connection with the 2015 Garissa University attack. They received sentences including life imprisonment and terms of 41 years.
President Ruto said Kenya currently has 24 active terrorism-related cases before its courts. He stated that the majority of these involve individuals accused of membership in international terrorist organizations.
At the conference, the President also outlined Kenya’s broader efforts to combat transnational crime. He said that between 2021 and 2024, Kenyan authorities handled 720 cases involving crimes such as human trafficking, document fraud, and unlawful border crossings. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) registered 30 money laundering cases in the same period.
President Ruto called for increased regional and international collaboration, emphasizing joint investigations, information sharing, and harmonization of legal frameworks.
He noted that Kenya’s ODPP has signed memoranda of understanding with prosecution agencies in Azerbaijan, Morocco, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to support efforts against terrorism and organized crime.
He also highlighted new challenges facing law enforcement, including criminal networks’ use of encrypted social media platforms and cryptocurrency. According to Ruto, these trends have made it more difficult to detect and disrupt terrorist financing operations.
Prosecutors and heads of prosecution from across the Commonwealth, including Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, attended the three-day conference in Mombasa.