Burundian nationals queue at a cyber café and inside the embassy compound on Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi as they seek travel documents and passports/ SCREENGRABHundreds of Burundian nationals living in Kenya have thronged the Embassy of Burundi on Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi and nearby cyber cafés, seeking passports, emergency travel documents and other paperwork.
A video watched by The Star showed large numbers of Burundians inside the embassy compound on Monday morning.
Outside, many more queued at a cyber café along the same road, carrying national ID cards, passports and permits as they waited their turn to be served.
The documentation exercise is routine; the mission regularly issues travel documents to its citizens.
However, the surge coincides with heightened anxiety following President William Ruto’s recent directives targeting foreigners in small-scale trade.
From the videos circulating online, some are alleged to have gathered at country bus stages with their belongings, preparing to travel back home.
Others are processing documents in anticipation of possible departure.
Police have, however, warned the public against targeting perceived illegal foreigners engaged in small businesses.
The police said they had not received any reports of harassment of the said foreigners, especially from the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.
The police added they had also not received any reports of an exodus of the said foreigners.
The developments follow President Ruto’s September 2 statement ordering an immediate crackdown on foreigners operating small businesses in Kenya.
Addressing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises traders at State House, Nairobi, Ruto directed the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry to begin enforcement action, saying local traders must be protected from unfair competition.
He instructed Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui to launch the drive upon his return from Addis Ababa and told Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana to engage stakeholders on a Bill before Parliament that seeks to reserve certain businesses for Kenyans.
“We have not built investor confidence so that hawkers can come to Kenya,” Ruto said.
“The investor confidence we have built is for investors to come to Kenya, not hawkers and traders.”
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei has since sought to clarify the President’s remarks.
On Sunday, he stated that Kenya remains open to traders and employees of all nationalities provided they hold the required documentation, work permits and licences.
“We assure that small or large traders & employees of all nationalities, with requisite documentation, work permits & licenses, are legally protected to operate in Kenya,” Sing’oei said.
“Burundian nationals and all East Africans and Africans for that matter are free to live in Kenya as long as they conduct their businesses or work according to the requirements of our law.”
The Foreign Affairs Ministry describes the mission as an instrument for advancing Kenya’s strategic interests in the region, including trade, investment, people-to-people engagement and wider diplomatic cooperation.
Despite the clarification, many Burundians in Nairobi appear to be preparing for the possibility of leaving, leading to the long queues at the embassy compound and cyber cafés.
