Tension and uncertainty have gripped informal markets across Nairobi and major urban centers as President William Ruto’s administration launched a targeted enforcement operation against foreign nationals operating small-scale retail enterprises and hawking without valid work permits.
The directive, which officially came into effect on Monday, September 7, instructs the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry alongside immigration authorities to shut down unlicensed informal businesses run by non-citizens. Addressing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) representatives at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto stated that while Kenya remains eager to attract large-scale international investments, foreign nationals would not be permitted to undercut local traders in the informal economy.
“The investor confidence we have built is for investors to come to Kenya, not hawkers and traders,” President Ruto said. “People should not confuse us.”
The President emphasized that administrative enforcement would proceed immediately while Parliament accelerates the passage of the Local Content Bill, which seeks to legally reserve specific retail sectors exclusively for Kenyan citizens.
Following the executive directive, hundreds of foreign nationals—predominantly Burundians operating in the capital—flocked to their embassy along Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi to process emergency travel papers and travel documentation. Affected traders expressed anxiety over mounting threats and localized hostility in residential estates and markets.
“There are so many people who have come here, and we don’t know when we will get any help,” said Peter Nakumujango, a 62-year-old trader waiting outside the embassy. “I am not going home by choice. I have been forced to go.”
In response to rising panic, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei offered assurances to foreign residents, clarifying that the operation targets only undocumented traders and does not constitute a blanket exclusion. Government Spokesperson Charles Owino similarly emphasized that the state maintains zero tolerance for xenophobia or harassment of foreign nationals.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders have sharply criticized the enforcement drive. Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka characterized the operation as a distraction from structural economic challenges.
“Crackdown without strategy is not governance,” Musyoka said, warning that chaotic implementation risks damaging diplomatic relations with neighboring East African Community partner states.
Trade ministry officials maintain that enforcement actions will continue systematically to ensure full compliance with national immigration and business licensing requirements.