Kenya has apologised to Burundian residents who reported harassment after President William Ruto's directive on foreign-run small businesses triggered fear, embassy queues and plans for voluntary departures. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei visited Burundi's embassy in Nairobi on Monday, 7 September, and promised stronger protection while authorities clarify documentation and licensing requirements.
The apology is important because the government's message changed as the deadline arrived. Ruto had said on 2 September that foreign-owned petty-trade and hawking businesses should close by Monday. Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui later said the measure concerned compliance with immigration, work-permit and business-licensing rules, and that implementation would respect Kenya's law and East African Community commitments.
Sing'Oei told Burundians that the directive had been misunderstood and said people had consequently been exposed to mistreatment by neighbours. He promised tighter security in communities where Burundians live, public awareness and an opportunity for residents and businesses to regularise their documents. Those are government assurances; they do not by themselves establish how enforcement will work in every county or whether every affected trader will qualify.
Hundreds of Burundians gathered at the embassy and nearby document services on 7 September, according to reporting from Nairobi. Some sought passports or emergency travel papers, while others prepared to leave. Africanews, carrying an AFP report, said residents alleged attacks and robbery but noted that AFP could not independently verify individual claims. Kenyan police said they had not received reports of harassment and warned the public against targeting foreigners.
Burundi's government has taken a firmer public position. Its Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Édouard Bizimana convened East African Community ambassadors on 5 September, accused the Kenyan president's remarks of worsening tensions, and demanded that any trade regulation respect human dignity. The ministry said Burundi was preparing buses and free laissez-passer documents for citizens who wished to return voluntarily.
The Burundian statement also warned that Kenya would be held responsible for harm to Burundian citizens and reserved the possibility of reciprocal measures. Kenya's ambassador in Bujumbura responded at the meeting by stressing the strength of bilateral relations and promising that his government would work to protect Burundians' dignity and safety. No reciprocal restriction had been confirmed at publication time.
The dispute reaches beyond Nairobi's informal economy. The EAC Common Market Protocol provides for free movement and progressive rights of labour and establishment among partner-state nationals, while still allowing host countries to apply national immigration and business rules. Visa-free entry therefore does not automatically authorise employment or trade, but nationality-based restrictions can raise questions about non-discrimination and regional obligations.
The immediate test is whether Kenya's clarification becomes predictable administration rather than street-level intimidation. Authorities need to publish the exact businesses covered, the documents required, the process and deadlines for regularisation, and the safeguards against vigilante enforcement. Burundi, meanwhile, must distinguish assisted voluntary return from pressure to leave and keep an accurate record of citizens seeking help.
For traders and families, the practical consequences are already real even while the legal position remains unsettled: closed stalls, interrupted income, travel costs and uncertainty over residence. The next material update will be evidence of how Kenya applies the documentation window, whether reported assaults produce police cases, and whether the two governments or the EAC agree on a durable interpretation of the rules.