Kenya's President William Ruto has ordered foreign nationals to shut down small-scale businesses such as hawking and street trading from next week, and pledged to fast-track legislation barring foreigners from certain sectors of trade. The move follows growing tension over the role of African migrants in Kenya's informal economy, with Ruto arguing that foreign investors, including Chinese traders, should be creating jobs and boosting production rather than competing with Kenyans in small enterprises.

Kenya hosted roughly 857,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of the end of June, nearly 14% of them living in urban areas, and refugee law allows them to work with appropriate permits, though it remains unclear how many traders will be affected by the crackdown. Migrants from the region are commonly found in barbering, construction, motorbike taxis and street vending, and resentment has flared before, notably in July when a Kenyan man's confrontation with a Burundian trader in Nairobi went viral. The announcement, made ahead of Ruto's re-election bid next year, comes amid broader anti-migrant sentiment across Africa, including a wave of protests and voluntary repatriations among African migrants in South Africa.