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Nairobi County Government askaris arrest a hawker along Muindi Mbingu Street on December 24, 2022. [File, Standard]
President William Ruto’s directive that foreigners operating small shops and engaging in hawking should shut down from September 7 may have been intended to protect Kenyan traders. But the language and manner of the directive raise serious concerns for refugees, particularly those living and working in Kenya’s urban centres.
The President is right that Kenyan traders deserve protection from unfair competition. But the question that must immediately follow is: who exactly is a “foreigner”?
A refugee is a foreign national, but refugees are not simply migrants who have come to Kenya in search of commercial opportunity. Many fled persecution, conflict and insecurity and have rebuilt their lives here. For urban refugees, small businesses are often their primary means of survival and self-reliance.
