Hundreds of Burundians Seek to Leave Kenya After Foreigners Barred From Retail Trade

Hundreds of Burundians gathered at their embassy in Nairobi on Monday to seek passports and travel documents after Kenya’s deadline for foreign nationals running retail businesses or selling on the streets took effect.

The embassy on Dennis Pritt Street in Kilimani drew large crowds. Some people queued inside for documents, while others used nearby cybercafes to complete parts of the process online. The Burundian Embassy said it would issue emergency travel documents, known as laisser-passers, to citizens who wanted to return home.

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We have not improved investor confidence so that street vendors can come to Kenya. It cannot be that someone comes from China or anywhere else to be a street vendor or open a small shop.

Kenyan President William Ruto announced the deadline during a meeting with micro, small and medium-sized traders. He said foreigners should not compete with Kenyans in street vending and retail. “We have not improved investor confidence so that street vendors can come to Kenya. It cannot be that someone comes from China or anywhere else to be a street vendor or open a small shop,” Ruto said.

Burundi’s Foreign Affairs Minister Édouard Bizimana said Kenyans live peacefully in Burundi, but warned that the situation could change if what he called “this hate speech against Burundi” continued. He also said Kenya’s government was responsible for the lives of Burundians living in the country.

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But if this hate speech against Burundi continues, things will undoubtedly change.

Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’oei, sought to clarify Ruto’s remarks. He said small and large traders, as well as employees of all nationalities, were legally protected if they held the required work permits and licenses. “Burundian nationals and all East Africans, and Africans in general, are free to live in Kenya as long as they conduct their businesses or work according to the requirements of our law,” he said.

Ruto linked the policy to the Local Content Bill of 2025, which is still before Parliament. The bill would restrict certain commercial activities to Kenyan citizens and require at least 60% of provisions and services to come from local sources. A day later, Ruto also said he had ordered Indian multinational Tata Chemicals to leave Kenya, according to the article.

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Burundian nationals and all East Africans, and Africans in general, are free to live in Kenya as long as they conduct their businesses or work according to the requirements of our law.