Kenya offers amnesty for migrants after Burundians rush to leave
Government spokesman urges undocumented nationals from other East African countries to formally register at embassies.
Kenya has offered a temporary amnesty to undocumented East African migrants after hundreds of Burundians rushed to their country’s embassy in Nairobi seeking travel documents to return home.
Kenyan President William Ruto’s government last week ordered authorities to close small businesses run by foreigners, starting on Monday.
The order, which Kenya’s Ministry of Trade said applied to foreigners operating without work permits, led to chaos outside Burundi’s embassy on Monday, with some Burundians saying they had been threatened by neighbours since Ruto’s remarks.
Later on Monday, a spokesman for Ruto’s administration urged undocumented nationals from other East African countries, and specifically from Burundi, to formally register at their embassies.