Burundi is sending buses and free travel documents to repatriate citizens from Kenya after President Ruto's crackdown on foreign hawkers sparked violence and panic.
What began as a domestic directive against foreign hawkers has turned into a regional diplomatic flashpoint. The Burundi government has started arrangements to repatriate its citizens from Kenya, following President William Ruto's crackdown on foreign nationals running small-scale retail and hawking businesses.
In a statement, the Burundi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Cooperation for Development confirmed the plans were being coordinated directly with the Burundi Embassy in Nairobi.
"Burundi is preparing to send buses to Kenya, and the Embassy of Burundi in Nairobi will issue free laissez-passer documents to facilitate the return to Burundi for those who wish to leave Kenya," the ministry stated.
The announcement set off immediate movement. Footage obtained on Monday, September 7, showed large crowds of Burundian nationals gathered at Nairobi's Machakos Country Bus Station, luggage in hand, scrambling for transport home.
The scenes weren't confined to Nairobi. At Malaba, the busy Kenya-Uganda border crossing, anxious travellers were seen rushing to buy bus tickets to begin the long journey back. In Nairobi, others queued outside the Burundi Embassy seeking free travel documents, while some were reported crowding cybercafés in Kilimani to process the paperwork needed to leave.
The trigger for all this was a directive President Ruto issued on September 2, while addressing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) traders at State House, Nairobi. Ruto ordered authorities to begin dismantling small-scale retail and hawking operations run by foreign nationals, with the directive taking effect on September 7.
His reasoning was blunt: foreign investment, he argued, should build large ventures that create jobs and boost production — not compete with ordinary Kenyan hawkers for space in the informal economy.
"It cannot be that a person comes from China or elsewhere to be a hawker or open a small shop," Ruto said.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui followed up, warning that most foreign small-scale traders operating in Kenya had violated their visa or regulatory conditions. Those with proper documentation, he said, would still need to obtain an operating license before resuming business.
For Burundi, the concern quickly moved beyond trade policy to citizen safety. In its statement, the Burundi Foreign Ministry said several of its nationals engaged in small-scale trade had faced dispossession and unjustified violence while going about their daily business.
The ministry went further, saying Ruto's own remarks had made things worse. "The Minister also noted that these statements were followed by a speech from the Kenyan President, which exacerbated tensions and triggered violence targeting Burundian citizens," the statement said.
While the statement was careful to acknowledge Kenya's sovereign right to set its own trade policy, it did not stop there. Burundi placed the responsibility for its citizens' safety squarely on the Kenyan government — and issued a pointed warning of consequences.
"The Kenyan government will be held responsible for anything that happens to Burundian citizens, and Burundi reserves the right to take the necessary measures under the framework of reciprocity," the statement added.
Bujumbura also appealed to the shared identity of the East African Community, urging Kenyan authorities to uphold human dignity and insisting the EAC "remains one united family" — language that underscores just how far this dispute has strained relations between two bloc members.
The crackdown has also become a domestic political flashpoint. Opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka criticized the government's approach as chaotic and poorly planned, accusing the administration of governing by crisis rather than strategy.
"Crackdown without strategy is not governance," Kalonzo said, arguing that the real threats facing Kenya's small traders are corruption, unpredictable tax and tariff policies, and pre-election political tension — not the presence of foreign traders. He called instead for diplomacy, dialogue, and a more stable business environment.
Meanwhile, some Burundian nationals have appealed directly to President Ruto to relax the directive, saying the Wednesday announcement caught them off guard and left them with no time to prepare or wind down their affairs.