Kenya Offers Temporary Amnesty to Undocumented East Africans as Burundians Rush to Embassy Amid Crackdown Fears
NAIROBI, Sept 7 (Reuters) — Kenya’s government offered a temporary amnesty to undocumented East African nationals after hundreds of Burundians crowded outside their embassy in Nairobi on Monday seeking travel documents, fearing the latest government order against foreign-run small businesses would force them out.
President William Ruto last week directed authorities to close all small-scale businesses operated by foreign traders, starting Monday, after a meeting with Kenyan traders who had been protesting tax reforms. Kenya’s trade ministry later said the order targeted foreigners without work permits. The announcement set off a rush at the Burundian embassy, with crowds of mostly young men queuing for hours with suitcases and paperwork as some described being threatened by neighbours since Ruto’s remarks.
There were no visible signs of a crackdown in Nairobi on Monday. Instead, a spokesperson for Ruto’s administration released a statement saying the government had an “absolute zero tolerance” policy toward “any form of harassment, intimidation, or xenophobia,” and urged undocumented East African nationals, particularly Burundians, to register formally at their embassies.
“For the duration of this designated registration period, all individuals undergoing registration will be presumed legally present in the Republic of Kenya,” the spokesperson said. The window was intended to bring people “out of the shadows” and ensure they could access health, banking and legal protections without fear. The administration said the registration would be carried out with Kenya’s regional partners.
The episode is a sharp reminder of how exposed many migrant traders remain in East Africa’s largest economy. The U.N. refugee agency says Kenya hosts roughly 16,000 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom sustain themselves by selling coffee, used clothes and other goods in Nairobi’s crowded markets.
“They should give us at least a week to plan and go back to Burundi or help us cross the border,” said Munezero Farnke, 18, who said he had lived in Kenya for three years without an ID and was planning to go home next year. Peter Nakumujango, 62, was among those waiting outside the embassy. “There are so many people who have come here and we don’t know when we will get any help,” he said. “I am not going home by choice. I have been forced to go.”
Burundi’s ambassador to Kenya was not immediately available for comment, and Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana did not respond to messages and calls.
The government’s latest move comes as Ruto prepares to stand for a second term in next year’s election. Critics have accused him of blaming the country’s economic troubles on foreigners instead of addressing the pressures facing ordinary Kenyans. “When a state runs out of answers for a collapsing economy, it invariably goes looking for an enemy,” activist Hanifa Adan wrote in the Daily Nation newspaper.
Ruto’s posture toward foreign capital has also hardened in recent days. On Thursday, he ordered India’s Tata Chemicals to stop operations in Kenya, saying its presence had failed to benefit the East African country. Tata Chemicals said it respected the authority of the Kenyan government and remained committed to constructive engagement.
Monday’s amnesty may ease the immediate panic, but it does little to settle the deeper uncertainty facing migrant traders whose lives and livelihoods sit at the intersection of regional integration and domestic politics. For now, the crowds outside Burundi’s embassy have been told to wait; many wonder whether the state will treat them as neighbors or as intruders once the registration window closes.