Kenyan President William Ruto has directed a crackdown on foreigners operating small businesses, ordering them to close shops and stop hawking from next week.
The policy is aimed at protecting local traders and hawkers from competition in the informal sector. According to the administration, foreigners — including Chinese traders, East African migrants and urban refugees — should focus on creating jobs rather than engaging in small-scale retail activities that have traditionally supported Kenyan livelihoods.
President Ruto’s government argues that the measure will safeguard opportunities for local informal sector workers who have long complained about being edged out by foreign operators.
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions. While some Kenyans have welcomed the directive as necessary support for local traders, others have criticised it as xenophobic. Online discussions have drawn comparisons with similar tensions in South Africa and raised questions about consistency in international responses to such policies.
Enforcement of the order is expected to begin in the coming days across the country.
