NAIROBI, Kenya — Some Burundian traders were still seeking documents to leave Kenya on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, despite the government's announcement of a 90-day period for foreign business operators to regularise their status. Interviews outside the Burundi Embassy showed that the policy clarification had not fully eased fears triggered by President William Ruto's earlier remarks about foreign-owned small businesses.
Why are some Burundians still leaving Kenya? Several Burundian traders interviewed in Nairobi said they remained worried about harassment and personal safety even after Kenya introduced a 90-day period to update immigration papers, work permits, registrations and licences. The government says lawful foreign residents will be protected and warns that intimidation will be punished.
Reuters interviewed Burundian nationals at their embassy in Nairobi who said they still wanted to return home. The report described hundreds of people seeking travel documents after several days of uncertainty about Kenya's approach to foreign-owned small businesses.
One trader told Reuters that the later compliance period did not remove his fear that he could face harassment. Another said he no longer felt wanted in Kenya. These are individual accounts, not proof that every Burundian trader plans to leave or that the Kenyan government has ordered a mass expulsion.
The continuing departures are nevertheless a material change from the first day of embassy queues. Earlier reporting established that many people were gathering for documents; the latest interviews show that some remain committed to leaving even after officials softened and clarified the immediate enforcement timetable.
The Associated Press independently reported that hundreds of Burundians had gone to the embassy and that some planned to return home because they feared for their safety. AP also documented the Kenyan government's promise to coordinate the regularisation process with foreign embassies.
What the 90-day period requires
State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said foreign nationals operating businesses have 90 days to put their immigration status, work permits, business registrations and licences in order. The full policy explanation reported by Citizen Digital says relevant agencies will administer the process in consultation with embassies.
The announcement is a compliance window, not permission to ignore existing requirements. At the end of the period, the government says the rules will be enforced firmly and through due process. Officials have not yet published a single public checklist covering every category of trader, permit or business activity.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Burundians Still Seek to Leave Kenya After 90-Day Window
Sep 9, 2026
Sep 9, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
NAIROBI, Kenya — Some Burundian traders were still seeking documents to leave Kenya on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, despite the government's announcement of a 90-day period for foreign business operators to regularise their status. Interviews outside the Burundi Embassy showed that the policy clarification had not fully eased fears triggered by President William Ruto's earlier remarks about foreign-owned small businesses.
Why are some Burundians still leaving Kenya? Several Burundian traders interviewed in Nairobi said they remained worried about harassment and personal safety even after Kenya introduced a 90-day period to update immigration papers, work permits, registrations and licences. The government says lawful foreign residents will be protected and warns that intimidation will be punished.
Reuters interviewed Burundian nationals at their embassy in Nairobi who said they still wanted to return home. The report described hundreds of people seeking travel documents after several days of uncertainty about Kenya's approach to foreign-owned small businesses.
One trader told Reuters that the later compliance period did not remove his fear that he could face harassment. Another said he no longer felt wanted in Kenya. These are individual accounts, not proof that every Burundian trader plans to leave or that the Kenyan government has ordered a mass expulsion.
The continuing departures are nevertheless a material change from the first day of embassy queues. Earlier reporting established that many people were gathering for documents; the latest interviews show that some remain committed to leaving even after officials softened and clarified the immediate enforcement timetable.
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The Associated Press independently reported that hundreds of Burundians had gone to the embassy and that some planned to return home because they feared for their safety. AP also documented the Kenyan government's promise to coordinate the regularisation process with foreign embassies.
What the 90-day period requires
State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said foreign nationals operating businesses have 90 days to put their immigration status, work permits, business registrations and licences in order. The full policy explanation reported by Citizen Digital says relevant agencies will administer the process in consultation with embassies.
The announcement is a compliance window, not permission to ignore existing requirements. At the end of the period, the government says the rules will be enforced firmly and through due process. Officials have not yet published a single public checklist covering every category of trader, permit or business activity.
Ruto also directed that the Local Content Bill, 2025, be expanded to create a framework for participation in small-scale trade. That proposed legislation may identify activities reserved for Kenyan citizens while defining legal protections for foreigners entitled to work or invest in the country. The proposal is not yet the same as an enacted restriction covering every small business.
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The Standard reported that the revised approach followed panic among foreign traders, particularly Burundians seeking documents in Nairobi. The government says it will continue protecting people who are lawfully resident, employed, investing or doing business in Kenya.
Kenya warns against harassment
Mohamed said no private person or group has authority to threaten, intimidate or interfere with foreign nationals or their businesses. He said anyone doing so would face action under Kenyan law. That warning is important because several traders told journalists that public hostility, not paperwork alone, was shaping their decision to leave.
The government's position now contains two separate commitments: protecting economic opportunities for Kenyan citizens and protecting lawful foreign residents from discrimination or violence. Whether those commitments are implemented consistently will determine whether confidence returns among Burundi's trading community.
The dispute reaches beyond Nairobi because Burundi and Kenya are members of the East African Community. Regional rules facilitate movement, labour, services and capital, but they do not remove every national immigration, licensing or work-permit requirement. XTRAfrica's earlier explanation of Kenya's cargo valuation dispute shows how pressure on small businesses was already driving public anger before the foreign-trader controversy.
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What affected traders should do
Foreign traders should verify their immigration and business status with Kenya's authorised agencies and their own embassies. They should avoid paying unofficial agents who promise guaranteed permits or rapid travel documents. Anyone facing a threat should preserve evidence where safe and report it to police or consular officials.
Readers should also treat dramatic social posts carefully. The available evidence confirms embassy queues, individual plans to leave and a 90-day government process. It does not establish that all Burundians are being deported, that every foreign-owned business must close immediately or that all traders will remain safe without official follow-through.
The next verifiable milestones are written guidance from the responsible agencies, evidence of how applications are handled and any enforcement action after the compliance period. For now, the clearest update is that the policy change has not persuaded every worried trader to stay.
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