Business
Kenyan Directive on Foreign Small Businesses Sparks Closures and Fear
BBC · 3 weeks ago · Read the Full Story on BBC
AI SUMMARY
A new Kenyan government directive regulating foreign-owned small businesses has prompted widespread shop closures among Ethiopian, Eritrean, and other African merchants in Nairobi due to security fears.
- Kenyan President William Ruto ordered strict enforcement and oversight of foreign nationals operating in small-scale businesses, effective Monday.
- Numerous Ethiopian and Eritrean-owned shops, including cafes, groceries, and salons in Nairobi's Jamhuri neighborhood, remained closed due to fears of looting and civil unrest.
- At least 28 individuals, mostly Eritreans, were arrested by Kenyan police since Friday for allegedly lacking valid residency permits.
- The directive has also impacted merchants from Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Somalia, with many Burundian nationals seeking emergency travel documents from their embassy to return home.
- Lee Kinyanjui, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry, clarified that there is no mass deportation order and that a joint task force is reviewing illegal involvement in small retail trade.
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