William Ruto Orders Foreigners to Quit Small Businesses in Kenya

Kenyan President William Ruto orders foreigners doing small businesses to close shops from next week to protect local traders.

Nairobi - President William Ruto has drawn a line on who should run small businesses in Kenya. The Kenyan leader says local traders and hawkers must be protected from foreign competition.

He gave the order on Wednesday, September 2, while meeting small-scale traders at State House in Nairobi. It was a direct message to foreigners operating in the informal sector.

According to Ruto, the grace period is over. From next week, all foreigners running small businesses should shut down.

He said his government will not just stop at a verbal warning. A new law is on the way to formally block foreigners from certain areas of trade.

Ruto was clear that Kenya is still open for business. But he said foreign investment must mean jobs for Kenyans, not rivalry in the streets.

He made specific reference to Chinese traders and other foreign nationals who have moved into hawking and small shops.

"It cannot be that a person comes from China or elsewhere to be a hawker or open a small shop," the president said.

The announcement comes at a time of rising tension in markets across the country.

Many local traders have complained that migrants are taking over limited opportunities. They say jobs and customers are already scarce.

Kenya is home to thousands of migrants and refugees. Many of them earn a living in low-income sectors.

Some work as hairdressers and salon owners. Others are in construction, boda boda transport, street vending and small retail shops. They are the group most likely to be hit by the new directive.

For now, it is not clear how many people will be affected. The government has not released any official number of foreigners involved in small-scale trading.

What is certain is that enforcement will begin next week, while the proposed law is fast-tracked to give the ban legal backing.