NAIROBI, Kenya—Burundi has warned Kenya over growing anti-Burundian sentiments, with Foreign Minister Édouard Bizimana demanding protection for citizens living and working in the country amid heightened tensions over foreign traders.
Bizimana said the Kenyan government was responsible for ensuring the safety of Burundian nationals in Kenya and warned that continued hate speech against Burundi could strain relations between the two neighbouring East African countries.
In a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, the Burundian Foreign Minister said Kenyans living in Burundi had been treated peacefully and cautioned that the situation could change if anti-Burundian rhetoric continued.
“Kenyan government is responsible for the lives of Burundians living in Kenya,” Bizimana said, warning that continued hate speech could have consequences for bilateral relations.
The warning comes days after President William Ruto directed authorities to take action against foreigners operating small-scale businesses in Kenya, saying such activities should be reserved for Kenyans.
The directive triggered anxiety among foreign communities, particularly Burundians, with hundreds of nationals seeking assistance at the Burundian Embassy in Nairobi and some seeking travel documents to return home. Reuters reported that some Burundians said they feared violence and felt unwelcome despite subsequent government assurances.
Kenya has since sought to reassure foreign nationals that the government’s measures are aimed at regularising their status rather than targeting them because of their nationality.
The government has provided a 90-day window for foreigners operating businesses to regularise their immigration status, work permits and business licences. Authorities have also warned against harassment, intimidation and xenophobia.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei visited Burundian nationals at their embassy in Nairobi following the tensions and apologised for what he described as a misunderstanding surrounding the government’s directive.
Sing’oei said the government wanted to establish the identities, locations and activities of foreign nationals partly to ensure their security, while insisting that those legally residing and working in Kenya would be protected.
The developments have nevertheless exposed a widening gap between the government’s stated intention to regulate foreign businesses and the fears emerging among some foreign communities.
For Burundi, the concern has now moved beyond immigration and business regulation to the treatment of its citizens and the potential impact on relations between the two countries.
Kenya and Burundi have since opened talks aimed at resolving tensions surrounding the status of Burundian nationals and their business activities in Kenya. The diplomatic engagement comes as Nairobi attempts to reassure regional partners that its enforcement measures will be carried out within the law and without discrimination.
Burundians form part of Kenya’s wider East African community, with many living and working in Nairobi and other urban centres. Some are engaged in small-scale businesses, making them particularly exposed to the government’s new enforcement measures. Reuters reported that Kenya hosts about 16,000 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are involved in small-scale trade.
The controversy stems from remarks made by President Ruto on September 2, when he told Kenyan traders that foreigners should not come to the country to operate as hawkers or run small shops, arguing that Kenya’s efforts to build investor confidence were intended to attract investors rather than foreign small-scale traders.
Ruto also linked the crackdown to the proposed Local Content Bill, which seeks to regulate foreign participation in various economic activities and increase opportunities for Kenyan workers and businesses.
The Bill is still before Parliament and has not become law.
Government officials have since attempted to distinguish between undocumented foreign traders and foreigners legally working, investing or residing in Kenya. They have also stressed that visa-free entry into Kenya does not automatically confer the right to work or operate a business without the required permits.
But the response from Burundi highlights the diplomatic risks of enforcing the policy.
Bizimana’s warning places the Kenya-Burundi relationship under additional pressure at a time when the two countries are members of the East African Community and share extensive people-to-people, economic and regional ties.
The challenge for Nairobi is now to enforce its local-content and immigration policies without allowing the exercise to be interpreted as targeting particular nationalities.
For Burundi, the priority is the safety and dignity of its citizens.
And as talks between the two countries continue, the handling of the foreign-traders issue could determine whether the current tensions remain an administrative dispute over permits and business licences—or develop into a broader diplomatic and regional concern.
