Kenya has long been known as a regional home for people seeking opportunity, safety and a better life. From Uganda and Tanzania to Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond, thousands of families have made Kenya their home, built businesses, raised children and become part of communities.
But in recent days, that sense of belonging has been shaken.
On September 2, President William Ruto directed authorities to crack down on foreign nationals operating small-scale businesses, saying low-capital businesses such as hawking and small retail should provide opportunities for Kenyans. He said Kenya welcomes foreign investment but questioned why foreigners would come to the country to compete with Kenyans in small businesses.
The directive has since sparked concerns about xenophobia, particularly among migrant communities.
For families who have spent years building lives in Kenya, the question is no longer simply about business licences or immigration documents. It is about whether they still feel safe and accepted in the communities they call home.
When a policy becomes personal
On Monday, September 7, hundreds of Burundians reportedly gathered outside their country’s embassy in Nairobi seeking travel documents to return home.
Some arrived carrying suitcases and personal belongings. Reuters reported that several said they felt threatened following the government’s announcement, while others said they were leaving despite not wanting to.
That reaction illustrates how quickly political rhetoric can affect ordinary families.
A trader who has lived in Kenya for years may have children attending Kenyan schools, rent a home, have friends and neighbours in the community and depend on a small business to support the household.
For such a family, uncertainty about their livelihood can quickly become uncertainty about everything else — school fees, rent, food, healthcare and whether they will be able to remain together in the community they have built.
Kenya says it is protecting its own
The government maintains that the issue is not about rejecting foreigners.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei said foreign nationals who meet Kenya’s legal requirements, including the necessary work permits and licences, remain free to work and operate businesses.
He also specifically reassured Burundians and other East Africans that they are free to live and work in Kenya provided they comply with Kenyan law.
That distinction matters.
There is a legitimate conversation to be had about illegal immigration, work permits, licensing and unfair competition. Kenyan traders struggling with unemployment and the rising cost of doing business also deserve policies that protect their livelihoods.
But enforcing immigration law is different from allowing foreigners to become targets of hostility simply because of where they come from.
The danger of turning neighbours into enemies
The concern over xenophobia comes partly from what has already happened in public spaces.
Foreign traders, particularly Burundians, have increasingly featured in conversations about jobs and informal businesses. In July, a confrontation involving a Burundian trader in Nairobi drew widespread attention after the trader was accused of taking opportunities meant for Kenyans.
Such incidents can easily move from economic frustration to discrimination.
Once nationality becomes shorthand for “taking our jobs” or “taking our businesses”, an entire community can become a target.
And children notice.
They hear what adults say at home. They see what happens in neighbourhoods. They attend schools with children from different nationalities. A child who has grown up alongside a Burundian, Ugandan, Congolese or Rwandan classmate may struggle to understand why that friend is suddenly being treated differently because of their nationality.
This is why the xenophobia conversation cannot be left entirely to politicians and business leaders.
It is also a parenting conversation.
What do we teach our children about belonging?
Kenya’s cities are increasingly multicultural.
Children grow up in classrooms with different accents, cultures and family histories. Their friends may have parents who were born in another country. Their favourite footballer, musician or content creator may come from somewhere else in Africa.
That diversity can teach children an important lesson: being Kenyan does not require someone else to be unwelcome.
We can teach children to be proud of their country while still respecting people from other countries.
We can explain that governments have a responsibility to regulate who works and does business in the country, while also teaching that enforcement should never become an excuse for harassment, insults or violence.
And perhaps most importantly, we can teach children to distinguish between a disagreement over economic policy and hatred of another human being.
Kenya’s African identity is also at stake
The debate is particularly sensitive because Kenya is part of the East African Community, whose Common Market framework is built around the movement of people, workers, services and capital across member states.
That makes the current debate bigger than Kenya’s informal economy.
It raises questions about what regional integration actually means when East Africans move across borders in search of work and opportunity.
For a Burundian family in Nairobi, Uganda or Tanzania is not necessarily a foreign world. East Africans have increasingly crossed borders for education, employment, trade, marriage and family.
The region is interconnected.
A Kenyan parent working in Uganda, a Tanzanian student in Kenya or a Burundian trader in Nairobi all contribute to that reality.
Protecting Kenyans without creating outsiders
There is a reasonable argument for giving Kenyan citizens greater opportunities in sectors where they are being crowded out.
But there is also a responsibility to ensure that such policies do not create a culture in which foreigners are treated as less deserving of dignity.
Kenya can enforce its laws.
It can demand work permits.
It can regulate businesses.
It can protect local entrepreneurs.
It can prosecute those operating illegally.
But none of those objectives requires ordinary people to fear their neighbours.
For parents, perhaps the most important question is what kind of society we want our children to inherit.
A Kenya where citizens have opportunities and businesses are fairly regulated is worth fighting for.
So is a Kenya where a child can sit next to another child in a classroom without being taught that their family’s nationality makes them less welcome.
Protecting Kenyan livelihoods should never require teaching Kenyan children to fear their neighbours.
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