Burundians try to leave Kenya ahead of crackdown on traders

Nairobi. Hundreds of Burundians gathered outside their country’s embassy in Nairobi on Monday seeking travel documents to return home, following Kenyan President William Ruto’s order for a crackdown on small-scale businesses operated by foreign traders.

Carrying suitcases and other belongings, mostly young men formed long queues outside the embassy as they waited for assistance.

“There are so many people who have come here and we don’t know when we will get any help. I am not going home by choice. I have been forced to go,” said Peter Nakumujango, 62.

Mr Ruto last week directed authorities to shut down all small-scale businesses operated by foreign traders, following a meeting with Kenyan traders who had been protesting against tax reforms.

Kenya’s Trade Ministry said the directive applied to foreigners operating businesses without valid work permits.

There were no immediate signs of a crackdown in Nairobi on Monday. However, some Burundians outside the embassy said they had received threats from neighbours following Mr Ruto’s remarks.

The UN refugee agency estimates that about 16,000 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers are living in Kenya. Many of them operate small businesses in Nairobi, selling products including coffee and second-hand clothes.

Burundi’s ambassador to Kenya was not immediately available for comment.

“They should give us at least a week to plan and go back to Burundi or help us cross the border,” said Munezero Farnke, 18.

“I have lived here for three years without even an ID and I was planning to go back next year.”

Mr Ruto’s critics have accused him of shifting blame to foreigners for Kenya’s economic difficulties ahead of next year’s presidential election, in which he is expected to seek a second term.

“When a state runs out of answers for a collapsing economy, it invariably goes looking for an enemy,” activist Hanifa Adan wrote in the Daily Nation newspaper.

The crackdown comes amid wider tensions over the role of foreign businesses in Kenya’s economy.

Last Thursday, Mr Ruto ordered India’s Tata Chemicals to halt its operations in Kenya, arguing that the company’s presence had failed to benefit the country.

Tata Chemicals said it respected the Kenyan government’s authority and remained committed to constructive engagement.