Hundreds of Burundian nationals rushed to their embassy in Nairobi and border checkpoints on Monday, September 7, 2026, seeking travel documents after Kenyan President William Ruto ordered authorities to close down small-scale retail and hawking businesses operated by undocumented foreign nationals across the country.
The policy shift triggered immediate chaos across the informal sector, sending foreign traders scrambling to exit the country before enforcement took hold. Long queues formed outside the embassy in Nairobi, where mostly young men carrying suitcases and mattresses waited for emergency travel documentation. Similar scenes unfolded at regional transit points, including the Busia and Malaba border crossings.
President Ruto’s Directive and the Informal Trade Crackdown
President Ruto issued the directive on September 2 following a meeting with local traders who had been protesting against tax reforms following a meeting with Kenyan traders who had been protesting against tax reforms. The administration framed the measure as a vital step to protect economic opportunities for local vendors who face mounting financial pressures in low-capital markets such as street vending and retail kiosks.
The Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, led by Trade CS Lee Kinyanjui, warned that many foreign small-scale operators had violated visa or regulatory conditions. Officials asserted that visitors arriving as tourists or investors had intentionally exploited visa rules to work without proper permits.
Critics, however, accused the administration of scapegoating foreign workers to deflect from broader economic struggles ahead of next year’s general election, when President Ruto is due to stand for a second term.
Embassy Queues, Repatriation Plans, and Regional Tensions
With the Monday deadline looming, foreign nationals expressed deep anxiety over their safety and livelihoods. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that about 16,000 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers live in Kenya, many engaged in small-scale commerce like selling coffee and used clothes in Nairobi.
Many displaced workers said they were leaving against their will. Munezero Farnke, an 18-year-old resident, noted that he had lived in the country for three years without an ID and planned to return home next year anyway. Peter Nakumujango, 62, told reporters outside the diplomatic mission, I am not going home by choice. I have been forced to go
.
Diplomatic friction quickly escalated. The Burundi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Cooperation for Development announced plans to send buses to Kenya and coordinate with the Nairobi embassy to issue free laissez-passer documents for departing citizens. Burundi officials alleged that presidential statements had exacerbated tensions and triggered acts of violence and dispossession against Burundian traders.
Government Clarifications and the Demand for Legal Compliance
As diplomatic pressure mounted, senior Kenyan officials pushed back against reports of a blanket expulsion. Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’oei clarified that the directive did not target foreign nationals holding valid legal documentation and work permits.
A spokesperson for President Ruto’s administration emphasized a policy of absolute zero tolerance toward any form of harassment, intimidation, or xenophobia
. The government opened a temporary registration window designed to bring undocumented regional migrants out of the shadows.
Under this administrative framework, all individuals undergoing registration will be presumed legally present in the Republic of Kenya during the designated period, granting them temporary access to banking, health, and legal protections.
Uncertainty Persists Across Informal Markets
Despite official assurances from Nairobi, informal traders remained deeply skeptical. Many migrants concluded that regularizing their status within the tight timeframe was impossible, choosing instead to pack their belongings and abandon their stalls.
With regional trade bodies monitoring the situation and bilateral tensions hanging in the balance, thousands of informal workers face profound uncertainty over whether to seek regularization or pack for home.
