Burundian migrants seek emergency documents in Kenya

Burundian nationals in Nairobi began queuing outside their embassy on Sept. 7 for emergency travel documents after Kenya started enforcing a crackdown on foreigners operating small businesses, according to local media reports and Kenyan and U.N. migration information pages. Reports from Nairobi said the embassy was issuing free laissez-passer papers to citizens seeking to return home or regularize onward travel after traders reported lost work opportunities and tighter checks. Kenya’s Directorate of Immigration Services says foreign nationals must hold valid permits and passes, while U.N. agencies in Kenya say they provide assistance to migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. ### Why were Burundians seeking emergency papers in Nairobi? Sept. 7 was the date Kenyan authorities were reported to have begun a crackdown on foreigners engaged in hawking and small retail trade after President William Ruto said such businesses should be left to Kenyan citizens, according to regional media reports. One report said hundreds of Burundians were trying to process documents to leave Kenya ahead of the move, while another said thousands gathered outside the Burundian embassy in Nairobi’s Kilimani area. (tuko.co.ke) Denis Pritt Road in Kilimani was identified in those reports as the center of the embassy queues. The reports said the embassy began issuing free laissez-passer documents on Sept. 7 to Burundian citizens wishing to return home, framing the papers as an emergency route for travel after the enforcement push. ### What is a laissez-passer in this case? (kahawatungu.com) The Burundian embassy was described in multiple reports as issuing a laissez-passer, a temporary travel document used to facilitate return travel when a person does not have a valid passport or needs urgent documentation. The available reporting did not include the full text of an embassy notice, but it consistently described the document as free and intended for Burundian nationals seeking to go home. (tuko.co.ke) Kenya’s immigration services website says foreign nationals can apply for permits, passes and other status documents through its online system. The same government portal says work permits enable a foreign national to enter Kenya and engage in trade, business or employment, indicating that legal status and business activity are handled through formal immigration channels rather than ad hoc local approvals. ### How does this intersect with refugee and migrant rules in Kenya? (msn.com) Kenya’s Refugees (General) Regulations, 2024 set out documents for asylum seekers and refugees, including identity documents and convention travel documents, according to Kenya Law. The regulations also include provisions on voluntary repatriation and the surrender of documents during return to a country of origin. UNHCR’s Burundi situation page said there were about 16,000 Burundian refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya as of Aug. 31, 2026. (immigration.go.ke) UNHCR’s Kenya help site says refugees and asylum-seekers can find information there on rights, obligations and available services, while IOM Kenya says it works on labour mobility, migrant protection and border governance. ### Are all Burundians in Kenya affected in the same way? UNHCR and Kenya Law make clear that refugees, asylum-seekers and other foreign nationals fall under different legal frameworks. (new.kenyalaw.org) That means a Burundian refugee registered in Kenya, a trader on a work-related permit, and a person without current documentation may face different procedures if they seek to remain, travel or return. Sept. 8 social media posts described checkpoints, visa problems and denied trader licenses, but those details were not independently confirmed in official notices reviewed for this article. (data.unhcr.org) What is confirmed is that Kenyan immigration rules require valid status documents, and that the embassy in Nairobi was reported to be issuing emergency travel papers to Burundian nationals. ### Where would affected people look next? Nairobi remains the main documented collection point in the available reporting, with the Burundian embassy in Kilimani named as the place issuing laissez-passer papers. (new.kenyalaw.org) For people seeking to stay legally in Kenya, the Directorate of Immigration Services points applicants to its Foreign Nationals Services portal, while refugees and asylum-seekers are directed by UNHCR Kenya to its help platform and by IOM Kenya to migrant-support services. (immigration.go.ke) (tuko.co.ke)