It's not a blanket ban, Gov't clarifies foreign trader directives

In a press statement issued on Monday, Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said President William Ruto's September 7 directive was aimed at regulating small-scale retail and informal trade in line with the proposed Local Content Bill, 2025, and was not targeted at foreign nationals as a group.

"The core intent of these measures is to protect vulnerable sectors of our domestic economy, safeguard local livelihoods, and maintain the integrity of our national identity systems," Owino said.

The government acknowledged that a number of East Africans, including several Burundians, live in Kenya without full documentation, leaving them exposed to exploitation and harassment.

It has now opened a Documentation and Registration Window, urging affected nationals to present themselves to their embassies for registration.

"For the duration of this designated registration period, all individuals undergoing registration will be presumed legally present in the Republic of Kenya," the statement read, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will work with the Embassy of Burundi to regularise the cases.

Owino warned against any harassment or discrimination targeting foreigners, saying security agencies and the public have been directed to leave documented nationals, and those undergoing registration, alone.

"Any elements seeking to exploit recent directives to fuel xenophobic sentiment or mistreat our neighbours will face the full force of the law," he said.

The government also dismissed international coverage of the directives, singling out French newspaper Le Monde, which it accused of mischaracterising the measures as a blanket ban on foreign nationals.

"The Government of Kenya categorically rejects these mischaracterisations. Kenya's commitment to the East African Community Common Market Protocol remains absolute and unwavering," the statement said.