Kenya’s President Orders Crackdown on Foreigners Operating Small Businesses, SA Debates Decision
- Kenya's President William Ruto ordered a crackdown against foreigners in the small-business trade
- The President argued that the move was to protect local traders and rebuild investor confidence
- The announcement drew strong reactions online, with many drawing comparisons to the situation in South Africa
- Kenya President David Ochieng spoke to Briefly News about the president's order and what it meant for the country
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
NAIROBI - Kenya's President William Ruto has ordered an immediate crackdown on foreigners operating small businesses and engaging in street hawking in the country.
Enforcement of the crackdown is set to begin on Monday, 7 September 2026, with Ruto directing the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry to begin administrative action against foreign nationals engaged in businesses the government considers reserved for Kenyan citizens.
Ruto defends decision to protect local traders
Speaking publicly on the matter, Ruto said Kenya's economic stabilisation efforts, including lowering inflation, stabilising the exchange rate, and rebuilding investor confidence, were designed to attract genuine investors who create jobs and contribute to the economy.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
He drew a clear distinction between such investors and foreign nationals competing with Kenyans in small-scale trade.
"All those traders and hawkers doing these small businesses should close down," the President said.
“We have not built investor confidence so that hawkers can come to Kenya. The investor confidence we have built is for investors to come to Kenya, not hawkers and traders. People should not confuse us,” he added.
Ruto also indicated that his government would not delay action pending Parliamentary approval of proposed legislation, choosing instead to move through administrative channels.
Briefly News also spoke to a Kenyan national, David Ochieng, about the situation in the country following the directive.
“It should be streamlined, contained and properly managed because most of these foreigners get into the country illegally. If left unchecked, this can eventually lead to cartelism," Ochieng said.
He added that he thought it was fine for foreigners to operate in the country, but when illegal operators became too many, it would come at the expense of locals who were operating legally.
"So, I do not think it is bad for foreigners to operate in the country. I just think the sector should be properly regulated,” he added.
How did South Africans react
Ruto's directive quickly gained traction among South African social media users, many of whom drew direct comparisons to the ongoing domestic debate around undocumented foreign nationals and foreign-owned businesses in townships.
@GoosCharly wrote:
"In South Africa, where the people govern, we too have initiated a crackdown on foreigners operating small shops and hawking."
@kingmoss0 said:
"In South Africa they call it xenophobia. Ramaphosa and ANC, see what others are doing whilst you're busy trying to please the whole world at our expense and lecturing us about Ubuntu. If you won't act, we will do it ourselves."
@Nonhlan23097084 tagged President Ramaphosa directly, writing:
"This is what South Africans expected from you."
@Kweila_mgd directed his comments at South African political parties:
"Yet here in our country, people come as far as Asia to operate tuck shops and you protect them."
@stan_nare added:
"When it's South Aftica it's xenophobia."
Citizens order foreign shop owners to close businesses
Briefly News reported that foreign shop owners were ordered to close their businesses during an anti-illegal immigration march in Johannesburg.
March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma criticised corrupt police officers during the protest, saying that they were betraying South Africans.
South Africans took to social media to dispel claims that there was chaos during what was described as a peaceful march in the city.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: Briefly News
