Police warn public over attacks on foreigners

Police in Nairobi have warned the public against targeting perceived illegal foreigners engaged in small businesses.

The police said they had not received any reports of harassment on the said foreigners especially from the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.

The police added they had also not received any reports of an exodus of the said foreigners.

This followed social media reports that dozens of the foreigners were leaving the country by road.

“There is no official order for the crackdown on the said illegal foreigners. In any case, most of the perceived illegal people are from the region. We don’t want to see Kenyans harassing them as it amounts to a crime,” said a senior official who asked not to be named.

President William Ruto had last week ordered a crackdown on foreigners running small businesses, arguing that local traders and hawkers must be protected.

He said this will start after he holds meetings on the issue and agrees on the way forward.

This sparked reactions from various quarters in the country amid claims that some were being targeted and harassed on the streets.

Some of the foreigners were seen scrambling to apply for border passes as they prepare to travel back to their countries.

This came as the government warned foreigners entering Kenya under visa-free or tourist arrangements against engaging in employment, trade or business without the requisite permits.

Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui said the government would revoke visas of foreigners found violating the conditions under which they were admitted into the country.

Kinyanjui said the clarification followed Ruto’s recent pronouncement on the government’s policy regarding foreigners engaged in local trade and other economic activities.

Kenya introduced a visa-free entry regime for visitors from across the world on January 1, 2024, while in January 2025 the government removed Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) requirements for citizens of most African countries.

According to Kinyanjui, the measures have had a positive impact on tourism and investment, and the government would continue implementing the policy.

However, he said the government had identified cases where some visitors were misusing visa arrangements by engaging in activities outside the terms of their admission.

“There has been deliberate misuse of visa applications by some visitors, leading to persons on investor or tourist status engaging in activities contrary to the provisions of the grant,” Kinyanjui said.

He said the government was particularly concerned about the high number of foreigners operating in the retail and local trade sectors without the necessary work permits.

“There is therefore a need to align their activities and ensure compliance with work permit provisions,” he said.

The CS stressed that visa-free entry, or exemption from eTA requirements, does not automatically grant a foreigner the right to work, trade or operate a business in Kenya.

Such activities, he said, remain subject to immigration laws, work permit requirements and other applicable regulations.