Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka has criticised the government's crackdown on foreign traders, describing the government’s approach as chaotic and warning that “crackdown without strategy is not governance”.
In a statement on Monday, Musyoka said the scenes of hundreds of small-scale traders seeking emergency travel documents outside the Burundian Embassy in Nairobi ahead of a government deadline showed how the exercise was being handled.
“In typical Ruto chaoticness,” he said.
He argued that the government could protect Kenyan businesses without targeting foreign traders, saying there were “better, more deliberate ways” to create an environment where both Kenyan and foreign entrepreneurs could operate within the law.
The Wiper leader said the main challenges facing small-scale Kenyan traders were corruption, an unpredictable business environment and what he described as the government's “erratic tariffs and taxation policies”.
He also accused the government of deliberately stoking pre-election tensions ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“The real threats facing our small traders are corruption, an unpredictable working environment including this regime's erratic tariffs and taxation policies, and the pre-election tensions being deliberately stoked by the outgoing regime, not the presence of foreign traders alone,” he said.
The opposition leader called for diplomacy and dialogue in handling the issue, arguing that the government should respect the rule of law.
“Diplomacy, dialogue, and respect for the rule of law must take centre stage,” Musyoka said.
He warned that a lack of diplomacy could deepen divisions between communities, regions and neighbouring countries while disrupting economic activity.
Musyoka also called for transparency in the processing of affected foreign nationals, including any changes to their documentation or status.
His remarks come as Burundi begins preparations to repatriate some of its citizens following President Ruto’s directive to dismantle small-scale retail and hawking operations run by foreign nationals.
The Burundi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said buses would be sent to Kenya and that its embassy in Nairobi would issue free laissez-passer documents to citizens wishing to return home.
Large numbers of Burundian nationals were also reported to have gathered at the Machakos Country Bus Station with luggage, while others sought travel documents at the embassy.
Burundi has expressed concern over the safety of its citizens, saying some traders had faced dispossession and what it described as unjustified violence.
It warned that the Kenyan government would be held responsible for anything that happens to Burundian citizens and said it reserved the right to take measures under the principle of reciprocity.
The Kenyan government has maintained that foreign traders who meet visa and regulatory requirements must obtain the necessary operating licences to continue doing business.