Kenya has offered a temporary amnesty to undocumented East African migrants after hundreds of Burundians rushed to their country’s embassy in Nairobi seeking travel documents to return home. Kenyan President William Ruto’s government last week ordered authorities to close small businesses run by foreigners, starting on Monday. The order, which Kenya’s Ministry of Trade said applied to foreigners operating without work permits, led to chaos outside Burundi’s embassy on Monday, with some Burundians saying they had been threatened by neighbours since Ruto’s remarks. Kenya has long drawn migrants from the East African Community, an intergovernmental organisation that allows freedom of movement for citizens of its eight member states, including Burundi.
About 16,000 Burundian migrants and refugees live in the country, according to the United Nations, many of them operating small street businesses. On Monday, despite no signs of a crackdown, crowds queued outside Burundi’s embassy from the morning to await papers that would allow them to travel home. Some reported harassment and violence following Ruto’s directive. Jean-Baptiste Ndayizeye, a pastor, told the AFP news agency that his neighbours had been attacked and robbed. “They’ve expelled us like animals,” he said.
Later on Monday, a spokesman for Ruto’s administration urged undocumented nationals from other East African countries, and specifically from Burundi, to formally register at their embassies. “For the duration of this designated registration period, all individuals undergoing registration will be presumed legally present in the Republic of Kenya,” their statement said. “This window is designed to bring our brothers and sisters out of the shadows, ensuring they can access health, banking, and legal protections without fear.” The government also issued a directive to security agencies and local authorities that foreign nationals were not to be “subjected to arbitrary harassment or discrimination”. “Any elements seeking to exploit recent directives to fuel xenophobic sentiment or mistreat our neighbours will face the full force of the law,” it read. Following the reports of harassment, Kenya’s junior foreign minister Korir Sing’Oei visited the embassy, apologised to Burundians and assured them police would protect areas where violence had been reported. “For so many years, you have lived in Kenya together with the Kenyan nationals. You have stayed in peace as neighbours,” he said, promising to help Burundians obtain papers or return home voluntarily. Critics of President Ruto have accused him of blaming foreigners for Kenya’s economic difficulties before an election next year.
