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Burundians seek refuge and travel documents at the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Nairobi. [Collins Oduor, Standard]
Last week's presidential directive on illegal immigrants nearly sparked a dangerous wave of xenophobic violence against Burundian citizens in Nairobi.
For days, terrified men, women, and children have camped outside their embassy, seeking shelter and travel documents to flee a country they had called home. While Burundians became the immediate face of this crisis, they are merely victims of a much deeper, systemic rot within Kenya’s immigration landscape.
The government’s subsequent decision to grant a 90-day grace period for undocumented immigrants to regularise their status is a commendable and humane first step. However, treating the symptom will not cure the disease. The State must now confront the real elephant in the room: The sprawling trade in illegal national identity papers and passports that has compromised the nation’s security and administrative integrity.
