Kenya’s government offered a temporary amnesty to undocumented East African nationals after hundreds of Burundians flocked ‌to their country’s embassy in Nairobi on Monday seeking travel documents, fearing a crackdown on small-scale traders from abroad. Kenyan President William Ruto last week called on authorities to close down all small-scale businesses operated by foreign traders, starting on Monday, following a meeting with Kenyan traders who had been protesting against ​tax reforms. The order, which Kenya’s trade ministry said applied to foreigners operating without work permits, sparked chaos outside Burundi’s embassy ​on Monday, with some Burundians saying they had been threatened by neighbours since Ruto’s remarks. There were no signs of ⁠a crackdown in Nairobi on Monday, and a spokesperson for Ruto’s administration later said the government had a policy of “absolute zero ​tolerance toward any form of harassment, intimidation, or xenophobia”, and urged undocumented nationals from other East African countries, and specifically from Burundi, to formally ​register at their embassies.

Full report : Kenya offers temporary amnesty to undocumented East Africans amid fears of crackdown.