'It's like a dog set loose on us' – fear over Kenya's crackdown on foreign traders

For Ndaikech Ali, who has been traversing the streets of the Kenyan capital eking out a living as a tuk-tuk driver for the past nine years, Nairobi's traffic – not xenophobia – has been his biggest concern.

Key points

• In Nairobi's low-income neighbourhood of Majengo, Kenyan Grace Wamaitha remarked her Burundian husband had already gone – leaving the day after the president's 3 September directive.
• "Kenya's commitment to the East African Community of the African continent remains firm."
• Filmon Eyob, a co-ordinator within Nairobi's Eritrean community, agrees with reservations that the crackdown order will be employed as pretext to harass foreigners.
• The president's remarks additionally sparked a diplomatic row, with the Burundian foreign affairs minister warning that "hate speech against Burundi" could have repercussions for Kenyans abroad.
• "I have been here from 2019, " remarked a Burundian man.

When the president ordered a crackdown on foreigners working as traders or operating small-scale businesses, during his time in the East African nation, the Burundian notes he has always identified Kenyans to be friendly and welcoming – that is until last week.

"Now they have turned against us, " he informed the BBC at the Burundian embassy in Nairobi where numerous have been queuing this week for documents to allow them to travel back home.

"The threats are many. Even from children, " he remarked, adding: "It's a like a dog has been set loose upon us. We have been bitten."

President William Ruto created his remarks last week when addressing Kenyan traders gathered at state house – in reference to legislation before parliament that seeks to exclude foreign nationals from petty trade and to mandate the local sourcing of certain materials.

During his speech, he remarked that all foreign nationals operating small businesses had until 7 September to pack up shop, saying such low-level jobs should be reserved for Kenyans.

Ali, like others, panicked, saying it seemed the president's announcement had been interpreted by some Kenyans as a signal that foreign nationals were no longer welcome in the country.

We face harassment and can't work, he notes. If our work is halted, we lose the income that enables us to pay rent and purchase food. When those jobs are taken away, the only option left is to return home. Now he's gone, who will help me pay school fees.

Other Burundians and some other foreign nationals have rushed to border crossing points to leave the country, with reports suggesting that a number have concluded up stranded there.

Some couples fear they will be forced to separate – and some families have already been divided.

"I have been here from 2019, " remarked a Burundian man. This person identified himself only as Prosper and who has a child with a Kenyan woman.

"When I heard the announcement, it was very painful because when I go, I'm forced to leave my family. And I love my family, " he informed the BBC.

She is distraught as she has been left trying to feed their five children – and has taken on extra work washing clothes.

"Now he's gone, who will support me pay school fees? I don't know what to do. Let them come back, " she informed the BBC.

As well as selling clothes, food and household goods, in Nairobi and other major towns, migrants from the region can be discovered working in barber shops and salons, construction, operating motorbike taxis and street vending.

While others have moved to Kenya in search of better opportunities, some have fled conflicts or economic hardship at home. Within the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc created up of eight countries, including Burundi and Kenya, the relative free movement of residents is allowed – but employment and long-term residence do require permits.

Although they are additionally required to obtain the appropriate documentation, kenyan law additionally recognises the right of refugees to work and operate businesses.

He informed the BBC that while numerous Kenyans had been supportive and welcoming, some Eritreans and Ethiopians had closed their businesses and stayed at home over the last week as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the president's remarks additionally sparked a diplomatic row, with the Burundian foreign affairs minister warning that "hate speech against Burundi" could have repercussions for Kenyans abroad.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Kenya have struggled to contain the fallout – and as the matter came to a head, Kenyan foreign affairs official Korir Sing'Oei visited and apologised to Burundians at the embassy this week, assuring them of protection from violence.

Although the administration has denied this, critics argue that Ruto's remarks were a populist move that risked stoking xenophobia.

Since then, a series of official statements have sought to clarify the directive.

For context, the administration has now given a 90-day window for undocumented foreign nationals running small business to register and comply with local laws. During the process, those undergoing registration will be presumed to be living legally in Kenya.

Yet observers and those affected argue that it did not have to be this way.

Academic Hesbon Owilla informed the BBC the president's comments were bound to be misinterpreted, especially by residents who did not have the right documentation.

He notes that while the proposed policy is good for Kenya and in line with global migration protocols, the communication concerning it ought to have been more diplomatic.

For those not in the audience, Owilla notes residents interpreted the president words as saying: "We are kicking these guys out."

For context, the president did not stop at small-scale traders. A day afterwards, he ordered India's Tata Chemicals to leave the country, saying the business had not provided sufficient benefits to the local Maasai community in Kajiado county.

Tata has been mining soda ash for years in Lake Magadi, a vast area often covered by a whitish salt crust. The lake's extreme briny environment sustains algae blooms that attract flamboyances of pink flamingos that thrive in the area.

Mining operations began at the lake in 1911 under a British colonial arrangement that is remarked to have remained largely intact, despite long-running land and resource disputes pitting the business and its predecessors against community and the administration.

Economist Odhiambo Ramogi argues that the move to restrict foreign nationals from businesses is too broad – and could do with finessing.

As well as other international investors, he points out that Kenya hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees as well as other migrants, mostly from the EAC region.

Ramogi notes that Ruto's intention seemed to go beyond "just protecting jobs for Kenyans".

Meanwhile, the president's remarks have prompted a wave of backing for foreign nationals, including by civil society groups and ordinary Kenyans who have criticised his approach.

After the criticism, Ruto. This person is up for re-election next year, has sought to counter the backlash.

"Kenya will remain an open, secure and welcoming country, protecting opportunities for its citizens, safeguarding the rights of all persons lawfully within its borders, " a statement by his spokesman remarked.

Ramogi notes that in the end, it is Kenya that stands to lose when citizens of neighbouring countries are targeted.

Taken together, the developments around ' It' s like a dog set loose on us' – fear over Kenya' s point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.