Hundreds of Burundians living in Nairobi rushed to their country's embassy on Monday to obtain travel documents and leave Kenya, following a directive by President William Ruto ordering the closure of small businesses operated by foreign nationals. The scenes outside the Burundian mission — crowds queuing for hours, suitcases and plastic bags piled at the compound gates — underscored the alarm the announcement has generated among East African migrants who had built livelihoods in Kenya's capital through street vending and small retail.

Ruto issued the directive on September 2, telling an audience of Kenyan traders at State House that hawking and small-scale retail should be reserved for citizens. He gave foreign-owned businesses until September 7 to shut down, saying Kenya had "not built investor confidence for hawkers." The announcement came alongside a proposed Local Content Bill, 2025, currently before parliament, which would require foreign companies to increase local sourcing and employment. Kenyan officials subsequently clarified that foreign nationals holding valid work permits and licences remained legally protected, with a junior foreign minister saying the president's remarks had been "misunderstood" — but by then significant damage had already been done.

Burundians have been among the most visible and most vulnerable communities affected. Burundi, a landlocked country of about 15 million people in the Great Lakes region and one of the world's poorest nations, is a member of the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc whose members enjoy freedom of movement. Many Burundians, like Eric Bizimana, who arrived in Kenya in 2022 after years of unemployment at home, had been operating informally without work permits, citing the high cost of obtaining them. Reports of attacks and robberies targeting foreigners prompted Burundi's foreign minister Edouard Bizimana to condemn "violence against foreigners, particularly Burundians" and to hold the Kenyan government directly responsible for their safety. "Letting Kenyan civilians do the work of the police gives the impression of a failed state," he wrote on X.

Kenya's junior foreign minister Korir Sing'Oei visited the Burundian embassy on Monday, apologised, and promised police protection in affected areas. Government spokesperson Charles Owino announced a "formal documentation and registration window," acknowledging that many East Africans had settled and worked in Kenya without full documentation due to "historical circumstances and regional dynamics."

The episode highlights a tension at the heart of Kenya's economic policy. Supporters of the crackdown argue it protects Kenyan small traders from displacement, with one Nairobi academic comparing the situation to restrictions on expatriates in skilled professions. Critics warn, however, that if implemented unpredictably it risks damaging Kenya's reputation as a regional hub for investment, straining relations with EAC neighbours, and deepening xenophobic sentiment — an outcome that neither the Kenyan government nor its partners in the regional bloc can afford to ignore.