Hundreds of Burundians living in Kenya have gathered at their embassy in Nairobi seeking travel documents as President William Ruto’s directive targeting foreign nationals operating small-scale businesses took effect on Monday.
Long queues formed at the Embassy of Burundi on Dennis Pritt Road on Monday, with applicants carrying identity cards, passports and permits as they sought documentation either to regularise their stay or prepare for a possible return to Burundi.
The rush follows an announcement by the Burundian embassy that it would issue Laisser-Passer travel documents from September 7, 2026, to nationals wishing to travel home. The documents are valid for one year and allow movement within East African Community member states.
For some Burundians, the decision to return is being driven by uncertainty over whether they will be allowed to continue operating their businesses in Kenya and concerns about their safety.
A 35-year-old Burundian peanut hawker said traders had been given little time to make alternative arrangements.
“They're chasing us away hurriedly. They should even have given us a grace period of two months so we could sort ourselves out.”
A 21-year-old Burundian who has lived in Kenya for three years said he was grateful for the opportunities he had received but was now preparing to leave.
“Kenyans have treated me nicely, but I now have to go back to my country.”
Another Burundian, a 22-year-old shoe seller, said returning home was not his biggest concern. He feared the crackdown could encourage vigilante attacks against Burundians.
“Leaving is not an issue. Those who are chasing us cannot even do that work. I will go back home.”
The situation follows President Ruto’s September 2 directive ordering action against foreign nationals engaged in small-scale trade, including hawking. The government says the measures are intended to protect Kenyan entrepreneurs from unfair competition and reserve certain businesses for citizens.
However, the government has since sought to clarify that the directive does not amount to a blanket ban on foreigners doing business in Kenya.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said foreigners with the required documentation, work permits and licences remain legally protected. He specifically said Burundians and other Africans could continue living and working in Kenya if they complied with Kenyan law.
The distinction has done little to calm anxiety among some Burundians whose livelihoods depend on small-scale trade.
Kenya and Burundi are both members of the EAC, where regional integration provides for the movement of people and workers. EAC migration data shows significant movement of Burundian citizens across the bloc, with 30,300 Burundians entering Kenya in 2019 and 11,043 in 2020.
The latest developments therefore have wider implications than the fate of individual traders.
Burundi’s Foreign Minister Édouard Bizimana has warned that continued hostility and hate speech against Burundians could damage relations between the two countries. He has also said he raised the issue with Kenya’s ambassador to Burundi and called for protection of Burundian citizens.
The Burundian embassy has meanwhile appealed for regional intervention, with Ambassador Evelyne Habonimana calling for an emergency EAC summit over the treatment of Burundian nationals.
For those now seeking travel documents, the immediate question is when they will return to Burundi. The embassy’s documentation exercise began on September 7, coinciding with Kenya’s enforcement deadline, meaning some traders are preparing to leave because they fear they will no longer be able to operate their businesses legally or safely.
Kenyan police, however, have said they had not received reports of harassment or a confirmed mass exodus of Burundians, underlining the gap between the fears driving some people to seek travel documents and the government's position on enforcement.