A spot check by Citizen Digital showed hundreds of Burundians at the embassy located on Dennis Pritt Road in Nairobi.
Earlier reports indicated that the Burundian Embassy has begun issuing emergency travel documents to Burundi nationals unable to use their passports.
On Monday morning, a source from the embassy told Citizen Digital that the documentation is a routine exercise. Where the embassy frequently gives travel documents to its citizens.
“It is not because of the current situation. We do this daily; we give perquisite travel documents to those who do not have them, or those who have expired documents. We give consular services for those whose documents have expired,” the official said.
Other than the embassy, a number of Burundian nationals have also flocked cyber cafés for documentation in Nairobi, processing documentation.
At Dennis Pritt Road, a number of Burundians on Monday morning lined up at a cyber café, carrying their ID cards, passports and other permits.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one said they had been asked to get the necessary documentation to process their travel back home.
They were processing their documents in preparation for possible travel back home.
The current unrest follows a declaration by President William Ruto, who warned of foreign small-scale traders operating in the country illegally.
However, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on Sunday said that the President’s statement had been taken out of context.
According to Sing’oei, Kenya remains open to small and large-scale trade by foreign nationalities, as long as they are well documented and have the necessary approvals.
“We assure that small or large traders & employees of all nationalities, with requisite documentation — work permits & licenses — are legally protected to operate in Kenya,” said Sing’oei.
“Burundian nationals and all East Africans — and Africans for that matter — are free to live in Kenya as long as they conduct their businesses or work according to the requirements of our law,” he added.
