Amid South Africa's Xenophobia, Kenyan President Orders Crackdown on Foreigners, Gives Reason
- President William Ruto addressed small-scale traders at State House in Nairobi on Wednesday, signalling a major policy shift
- Ruto said foreigners, including Chinese traders, should create jobs rather than compete with Kenyans in petty trade and hawking
- Kenya hosts about 857,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers, with nearly 14% living and working in urban areas
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Kenya's President William Ruto has directed foreign nationals running small businesses and hawking operations in the country to shut down, saying the space belongs to local traders.
Ruto made the announcement on Wednesday during a meeting with small-scale traders at State House in Nairobi, signalling plans for a formal crackdown and promising to speed up legislation that would bar foreigners from certain sectors of trade.
"From next week, all [foreign] traders doing those small businesses should close them," the president said, adding that Kenya remained open to outside investment, but only the kind that generates jobs and grows production.
Ruto singles out Chinese traders
The president directed his remarks at traders from various countries, including China, saying their presence in Kenya's informal economy was not the type of investment the government had worked to attract.
"It cannot be that a person comes from China or elsewhere to be a hawker or open a small shop," Ruto said. "We have made efforts to improve the economy; we have not improved investor confidence for hawkers to come to Kenya."
Ruto, who plans to seek a second term in next year's election, framed the directive as a measure to protect ordinary Kenyans who depend on petty trade for their livelihoods.
Kenya: Scale of the crackdown unclear
The announcement raises several unanswered questions. It is not yet clear how many foreign nationals are currently engaged in small-scale trading across Kenya, or how enforcement of the directive would work in practice.
Kenya hosts one of Africa's largest refugee populations. Government figures show that about 857,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers were living in the country by the end of June, with close to 14% of them based in urban areas rather than designated camps. Many of those in towns and cities engage in trade and other informal work to support themselves.
The president's remarks come as debate grows across the continent over the role of African migrants in local economies. They also follow renewed concerns about xenophobic violence in South Africa, where foreign nationals have faced attacks from locals in recent months.
Source: Legit.ng
