14/09/2026
🇰🇪🇧🇮 BURUNDIANS ARE SEEKING TRAVEL PAPERS TO LEAVE KENYA — BUT KENYA SAYS THEY HAVE 90 DAYS TO REGULARISE THEIR STATUS
A worrying situation is unfolding in Nairobi.
Hundreds of Burundians have reportedly gone to the Burundi Embassy seeking travel documents to return home, saying they fear harassment and no longer feel safe or welcome in Kenya. Some reportedly spent long hours outside the embassy with their belongings. (Reuters)
The situation followed President William Ruto’s directive targeting small-scale businesses operated by foreign traders. Kenya has since announced a 90-day amnesty for undocumented East African nationals to regularise their immigration status, work permits, business registration and licences. (Reuters)
The Kenyan government has also said it has zero tolerance for xenophobia, harassment and violence against foreigners.
But the question remains:
Why are some people still choosing to leave even after the government announced an amnesty?
Migration is becoming a sensitive issue across Africa.
From South Africa to Kenya, Africans are increasingly finding themselves caught in difficult conversations about jobs, businesses, immigration and who has the right to live and work where.
Yes, every country has the right to enforce its immigration laws.
But Africans should also remember something:
A migrant is still a human being.
If someone is undocumented, let the law take its course — but there should be no violence, intimidation or humiliation.
🇦🇫 Africa cannot build a stronger future by turning Africans against Africans.
What do you think about the situation in Kenya?
Should undocumented migrants be given time to regularise their papers, or should they simply return home?
👇🏾 Let’s discuss respectfully.