Kenya's foreign trader crackdown sparks fear among migrant communities

Burundian nationals queue outside their embassy in Nairobi to obtain travel documents, amid uncertainty following Kenya's crackdown on undocumented small-scale traders. Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

NAIROBI, Kenya — In Kibera, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements, it's another busy morning. People rush to work, hailing matatus along the roadside as vendors set up for the day.

But for foreign nationals who run small businesses here, it's far from business as usual.

Last week, President William Ruto ordered authorities to shut down small-scale businesses operated by foreign traders, saying such work should be left to Kenyans.

The president gave them until this week to comply, prompting fear among migrant communities.

At a matatu terminal in Nairobi, James Mogaka is already seeing the impact. He manages a hub for the country's ubiquitous minibus taxis and says many of the vehicles are owned or operated by foreign nationals.

"Today they have not come. Their vehicles are not here," he says.

Mogaka says one of his drivers is too scared to come to work and is worried about his wife, a Burundian national who runs a fruit business.

"The guy is even afraid that people might come to chase away the wife," he says. "I really don't know where we are heading."

The government announcement has left migrant communities anxious about the potential impact on their livelihoods and safety.

It also comes against a backdrop of rising tensions over migration and foreign-owned businesses in parts of Africa — from restrictions on non-citizens running certain businesses in Tanzania to a resurgence of xenophobic violence in South Africa.

The unease is palpable in Kenya, where many people affected by the directive were reluctant to speak to us on the record.

In Nairobi's central business district, the directive is drawing a mixed reaction.

Local trader Robert Kiberenge opposes the move. "The president is just trying to divert our attention from more pressing issues. We have no problem with foreigners doing small businesses in Kenya."

But there is also support for the president's move. Graduate Kiprono Kutuny is among those who back it.

"I concur with him. The government needs to protect the traders and small business people, but you find that these people who come from different foreign countries have taken these businesses and they are doing it in a cheap labor."

Kenya is East Africa's economic hub and is known for its relative political stability. The United Nations estimates put the number of international migrants living in Kenya at about 993,000 in 2024.

The government says the policy is intended to protect Kenyan traders in a crowded small-business sector, where competition from foreign nationals has become an increasingly contentious issue.

But economist Edward Kusewa says the President Ruto's directive is the wrong move. "I think it's very uncalled for."

Kusewa says the policy could undermine the principles of the African Continental Free Trade Area , which aims to ease the movement of goods and people across borders.

"These people contribute a lot to the economy," Kusewa says." They pay taxes directly and I think this is going to have an impact on the Kenyan economy."

Ruto faces voters next year, with the debate over who gets to operate small businesses unfolding against a backdrop of economic pressures and concerns over jobs and livelihoods.

As the government tries to reassure those affected, foreign nationals — many from neighbouring countries including Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo — have been turning to their embassies for help securing documents to return home.

On Tuesday, in an effort to ease concerns, the government gave undocumented East African nationals 90 days to obtain or update the documents required to stay and do business in Kenya.

But for many, the fear of what comes next has already taken hold.

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