Kenya asks migrants to register following xenophobic attacks

Kenya called on all undocumented immigrants in the country to register with the authorities following a series of xenophobic attacks.

The violence ensued after President William Ruto ordered a clampdown last week against foreigners who he said were engaged in small-scale businesses and doing unskilled jobs that should be reserved for Kenyans. The government later said East African nationals were welcome, provided they had the requisite documents.

Kenya wants “all undocumented East African Community nationals, and specifically Burundian citizens currently residing in Kenya, to immediately present themselves to their respective high commissions or embassies for formal identity registration,” government spokesman Charles Owino said on Monday.

Kenya’s $141 billion economy has attracted many East Africans seeking work and business opportunities. The country has also long been seen as a safe haven for refugees seeking shelter in a often tumultuous region.

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Foreigners have a 90-day grace period to register after which “immigration, work permit, registration and licensing requirements will be enforced firmly and strictly,” State House spokesman Hussein Mohamed said in a statement.

Ruto previously removed visa requirements for all African nationals travelling to his country, and the xenophobic attacks will be a blot on his reputation. Kenya also risks being categorised alongside South Africa — where migrants have been intermittently targeted — as a country that’s unwelcoming to foreigners.

“The government of Kenya maintains a policy of absolute zero tolerance toward any form of harassment, intimidation, or xenophobia,” Owino said in a statement.

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Mobs have attacked small businesses linked to Burundian, Rwandan and Ugandan nationals in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, according to risk advisory firm Armistice Security Consult International. Residents in the western city of Nakuru have also staged protests against foreigners who they accused of taking their jobs in beauty salons and barber shops, and running roadside stalls that compete with businesses owned by locals. Refugee communities in the port city of Mombasa were also targeted, according to state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

Hundreds of Burundians who fled the violence flocked to their their embassy in Nairobi and officials there are processing travel documents for those that wanted to return home, Ambassador Evelyne Habonimana said by phone.

“There’s been a misunderstanding and because of that, some of you have been harmed by your neighbours,” Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei told the crowd who assembled outside the embassy. “What’s essential is for the government to know who you are, where you are so that you’re protected.”

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