Kenyan media personality Janet Mbugua has spoken out against rising concerns over xenophobia following the government’s push to regulate foreign nationals running small businesses in the country.
In a video shared on her Instagram page on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Janet said Kenya has a right to enforce its immigration laws but warned against allowing the process to turn into violence against foreign traders.
She said the debate should focus on whether people have the right documents and licences rather than encouraging hostility towards people because of their nationality.
“Enforcing Kenyan immigration laws is a right. But the moment that turns into mobs pushing people out of shops with violence, it becomes something else,” Janet said.
Janet questions Ruto’s remarks
Her comments come days after President William Ruto directed authorities to take action against foreigners involved in small-scale businesses such as hawking and retail.
Speaking to micro, small and medium enterprise traders at State House on September 2, 2026, Ruto said some businesses requiring little capital should be reserved for Kenyans.
“From next week, all traders doing those small businesses should close them,” Ruto said.
The remarks have since caused concern among some foreign traders, particularly East Africans living and working in Kenya.
Janet described the president’s words as careless, arguing that Kenyans should remember how their own citizens have experienced xenophobia in other countries.
“I think our president’s words were careless, and this is something that needs to be looked at closely because we also have Kenyans in other countries all over the world,” she said.
‘We don’t get to do it to our neighbours’
Janet also questioned the tendency to blame foreigners for economic difficulties facing the country. She argued that economic pressure can make it easier for people to blame those around them instead of examining the wider problems affecting the economy.
“When an economy is struggling, it’s easier to look sideways at the trader next to you than to look inward at the choices that got us here,” she said.
The media personality also drew a comparison with the xenophobic attacks that have affected Kenyans and other African nationals in South Africa.
“We named it xenophobia when it happened to our own people in South Africa, so we don’t get to do it to our neighbours now just because the pressure’s on us,” she added.
Foreign traders caught in uncertainty
The government has since clarified that foreigners with the required documentation remain protected under Kenyan law.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said small and large-scale traders and employees of all nationalities with valid work permits and licences are legally allowed to operate in Kenya.
The government has also announced a 90-day window for foreign nationals conducting business to regularise their immigration and business documents.
However, the situation has already caused anxiety among some migrant communities. Reports have emerged of foreign traders closing businesses, while hundreds of Burundians sought assistance at their embassy in Nairobi amid fears over the crackdown.
‘We can want fair opportunity without losing humanity’
Janet maintained that Kenya can protect opportunities for its citizens without treating foreigners unfairly.
She said having incomplete or invalid documents should be handled through the law rather than mob action or intimidation. “A person’s papers being out of order shouldn’t earn them a mob at their shop door. We can want fair opportunity for Kenyans without losing our humanity in the process,” she said.
For Janet, the discussion is not about opposing enforcement, but ensuring that enforcement does not become an excuse for xenophobia or violence against people living and working in Kenya.
