As fear drives 100s to Kenya’s embassy, the government quickly moves to grant temporary amnesty to its undocumented neighbours

• Kenyan President William Ruto has announced a temporary amnesty for undocumented East African nationals, especially Burundians, due to concerns about an immigration crackdown.
• The decision comes after panic among Burundians and fears of targeted crackdowns on small-scale foreign traders in Kenya.
• Ruto previously directed enforcement against foreigners operating businesses intended for Kenyan citizens, and a new law restricting foreign participation is being debated.
• Despite the tough rhetoric, the Kenyan government emphasized zero tolerance for harassment or xenophobia and called for undocumented nationals to register at their embassies.

Amid growing concern among undocumented East Africans in Kenya, the administration led by President William Ruto has decided to grant them temporary amnesty.

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This decision follows the mass panic on Monday that prompted hundreds of Burundians to run to Kenya’s embassy in the country’s capital, Nairobi.

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The Burundians have become weary of a crackdown that threatens to target small-scale traders in Kenya from other countries.

Last week, the president of Kenya, William Ruto, ordered a crackdown on foreigners running small businesses in Kenya, saying local traders should not be pushed out of businesses meant for them.

As reported by Reuters, some Burundians disclosed that Ruto’s statement had brought about threats to them from their Kenyan neighbours.

No indications of enforcement actions were observed in Nairobi on Monday, and an official representative of President Ruto's administration subsequently stated that the government maintains a policy of "absolute zero tolerance toward any form of harassment, intimidation, or xenophobia."

Furthermore, the administration urged undocumented citizens from neighboring East African nations, most notably Burundi, to formally complete registration procedures at their respective diplomatic missions.

Kenya’s plan to crack down on foreign-owned small businesses

Last week, on Thursday, President William Ruto directed Kenya’s Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry to begin enforcing restrictions against foreign nationals operating businesses legally reserved for Kenyan citizens.

The directive came as the country’s legislators considered a proposed law that would limit foreign participation in certain small-scale businesses.

Following this, the Kenyan president indicated that his government intends to begin taking action even before the legislation is passed, according to The Star.

Ruto announced the move while addressing micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) traders at State House in Nairobi.

He said a bill was already before Parliament that would bar foreign nationals from operating in specific categories of businesses reserved for Kenyans.

"From next week, all traders doing those small businesses should close them," Ruto said.

"We have made efforts to improve the economy; we have not improved investor confidence for hawkers to come to Kenya. We have not built investor confidence so that hawkers can come to Kenya,” he added.

Soon after this directive, the Kenyan president ordered Indian-owned Tata Chemicals to end its operations in Kenya.

    **According to Ruto**, Kenya plans to bring in two new companies to take over the facility’s operations.

One is expected to set up a glass manufacturing plant, while the other would produce chemicals in Kajiado County.

Tata Chemicals, a subsidiary of India’s Tata Group, currently operates the Magadi soda ash facility in Kajiado.

The company has been extracting and processing trona, a mineral used to produce soda ash, at the site for more than 100 years.