A directive by Kenyan President William Ruto ordering foreign nationals out of small-scale trading has unleashed a wave of fear among migrant communities in Nairobi, prompted hasty departures to border crossings, and triggered a diplomatic dispute with neighbouring Burundi — all within the space of days.

Ruto made his remarks on 3 September while addressing Kenyan traders at State House, speaking in support of draft legislation that would bar foreign nationals from petty trade and require local sourcing of certain goods. He set a deadline of 7 September for foreign nationals operating small businesses to shut down, saying such work should be reserved for Kenyans. The announcement was widely interpreted as a signal that migrants were no longer welcome, with some Kenyans reportedly harassing foreign nationals in the days that followed. "It's like a dog has been set loose upon us," Ndaikech Ali, a Burundian tuk-tuk driver who has lived in Nairobi for nine years, told the BBC outside the Burundian embassy, where many migrants gathered to obtain travel documents. "We have been bitten."

The human cost has been immediate. Mixed-nationality families have been split apart, with some migrants departing overnight. Grace Wamaitha, a Kenyan woman in Nairobi's low-income Majengo neighbourhood, said her Burundian husband left the day after the directive, leaving her to care for their five children alone. Others, like a man identifying himself only as Prosper, face the agonising choice of leaving behind a Kenyan partner and child. Eritrean and Ethiopian business owners have closed their shops as a precaution, according to a coordinator within Nairobi's Eritrean community. The crackdown also sparked a diplomatic response: Burundi's foreign affairs minister warned that "hate speech against Burundi" could have consequences for Kenyans living abroad.

Kenyan authorities have since scrambled to contain the fallout. A foreign affairs official visited the Burundian embassy to apologise and assure migrants of protection. The government revised its position, offering a 90-day window for undocumented foreign nationals to register and comply with local laws, with those undergoing registration to be treated as legally resident in the interim. Official statements stressed that Kenya remains committed to the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc of eight countries — including Kenya and Burundi — that allows for relatively free movement of people, though work permits and residency documentation are still required.

Why this matters: Critics, including economists and academics, argue the directive was poorly communicated and risks serious economic and diplomatic damage. Kenya earned $56 million in exports to Burundi alone last year, and economists warn that restricting foreign participation could stifle economic competition and growth. Observers note that while the underlying policy — protecting jobs for Kenyans — is broadly in line with international norms, the blunt delivery created confusion and emboldened xenophobic behaviour. With Ruto facing a re-election campaign next year, critics have characterised the move as populist, a charge the government denies. For the thousands of migrants — many of them refugees from conflict or poverty — who built lives in Kenya, the episode has shattered a sense of security that, until last week, many had taken for granted.