President William Ruto in Chebunyo, Bomet on September 12, 2026/PCSPresident William Ruto has softened his recent stance on foreign nationals working and doing business in Kenya, saying the country remains open to workers, investors and visitors from across Africa and beyond, provided they comply with Kenyan laws.
Ruto said no Kenyan had the right to take the law into their own hands or harm foreigners, stressing that all people in the country would be treated fairly and in accordance with the law.
His remarks come days after he directed a crackdown on foreign nationals engaged in small-scale businesses, including hawking and petty trade, saying such activities should largely be reserved for Kenyans.
The President said Kenya's commitment to regional integration meant citizens of the East African Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) remained free to invest and work in the country within the rules set by Kenyan authorities.
“As citizens of this country, we are believers in the East African Community. We are believers in Comesa and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, and citizens of all these trading zones ... are free to invest in our country,” Ruto said during an event in Chebunyo, Bomet.
“They are free to work in Kenya within the rules that are provided for in Kenya, so that we can together be able to grow our region, and no citizen has a right to take the law into their hands and harm other people from other areas.”
He said the government would continue enforcing regulations governing employment, investment and other activities involving foreign nationals.
“Every person from wherever they come from will be treated fairly, in accordance with the law, and made to comply with the regulations governing employment in Kenya, investment in Kenya, visit to Kenya, whether they are tourists, whether they have come to work, or whether they have come to invest,” he said.
“We will continue to be an open society because that is the DNA of Kenya.”
Ruto's latest remarks seek to draw a distinction between foreigners who are legally working or investing in Kenya and those operating businesses without the required permits, licences or approvals.
On September 2, Ruto had directed authorities to move against foreigners engaged in small-scale trade, saying Kenyan traders needed protection from what he described as unfair competition.
He said foreign investors were welcome, particularly in activities requiring significant capital and creating jobs for Kenyans.
The government has since launched a 90-day regularisation exercise for foreign nationals operating businesses, while officials have repeatedly said the measures are not a blanket ban on foreign traders.
The clarification followed concerns among some foreign nationals, particularly East Africans, amid reports of harassment and fears that the crackdown could trigger xenophobic attacks.
The government has maintained that documented foreign workers and traders are protected under Kenyan law.
