The government has moved to ease concerns over its recent immigration directives targeting foreigners running small businesses in Kenya, opening a special window for undocumented foreign nationals to register and regularise their status.
In a statement on Monday, Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said the measures announced by President William Ruto on September 2, 2026, are aimed at protecting vulnerable sectors of the economy while safeguarding the rights and dignity of East African Community citizens living in Kenya.
Owino said the directives, which focus on small-scale retail and informal trade in line with the proposed Local Content Bill, 2015, have been wrongly portrayed as a crackdown on foreigners.
“These measures are not a blanket ban or a hostile action against our neighbours,” Owino said.
“Their core intent is to protect local livelihoods while bringing our brothers and sisters out of the shadows so they can access health, banking, and legal protections without fear.”
The government has established a formal documentation and registration window for undocumented EAC nationals, with a particular focus on Burundian citizens living and trading in Kenya without proper papers.
Those who present themselves to their respective embassies or high commissions for identification will, during the registration period, be presumed legally present in Kenya.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will work with the Embassy of Burundi and other regional partners to manage the process, with further details to be communicated through foreign missions.
Owino said Kenya’s action is in line with regional practice and its long-standing reputation as a hospitable nation.
“Kenya has a proud history as a safe haven in this region,” he said. “We will not allow any sensationalist reporting or political rhetoric to dilute that legacy.”
He also directed security agencies, local authorities and the business community not to harass, intimidate or discriminate against foreign nationals who are documented or undergoing registration.
“Any individual or group seeking to exploit these directives to fuel xenophobia or target our East African neighbours will face the full force of the law,” Owino warned.
His remarks came hours after hundreds of Burundians living in Kenya gathered at their embassy in Nairobi to seek travel documents as the directive targeting foreign nationals operating small-scale businesses took effect.
Long queues formed at the Embassy of Burundi on Dennis Pritt Road, with applicants carrying identity cards, passports and permits as they sought documentation either to regularise their stay or prepare for a possible return home.
The rush followed 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 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.”