Kenya has become a critical transit point for gold smuggled out of African countries affected by conflict and weak governance, according to a new report by SwissAid, a Swiss-based non-governmental organization focused on development and resource justice.
The report highlights how much of Kenya’s gold trade operates informally, with artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) dominating the sector and most production going unrecorded.
While Kenya officially declared just 672 kilograms of gold exports in 2023, SwissAid estimates that illicit gold shipments exceed two tons annually.
The report reveals that significant quantities of gold smuggled from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and possibly Sudan transit through Kenya before being reexported.
Most of this gold is shipped to Dubai, where it is officially declared upon arrival, with other common destinations including India and South Africa.
The report also notes that Kenya may serve as a transit hub for gold originating from Sudan, a country embroiled in civil war since 2023.
Kenya’s officially declared gold exports, mainly sourced from two licensed medium-scale mines, are sent to refiners in South Africa and Switzerland.
However, the informal and illicit trade, SwissAid warns, fuels regional conflicts, supports criminal and terrorist networks, undermines democratic institutions, and facilitates large-scale money laundering.
“Part of the gold that is smuggled out of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and, to a lesser extent, Ethiopia, and possibly Sudan passes through Kenya before being ultimately reexported,” the report states, underscoring Kenya’s role in this complex and opaque trade network.
