By Michael Oche
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has cautioned against discriminatory treatment of foreign traders in Kenya, following recent remarks by President William Ruto concerning foreign nationals engaged in small-scale trading and other businesses in the country.
In a statement issued in Lomé, Togo, ITUC-Africa general secretary Akhator Joel Odigie said political rhetoric that distinguishes Africans as unwanted foreigners could fuel discrimination, profiling, harassment and, ultimately, violence against migrant communities.
Nigerian Pilot reports that on September 2, President Ruto directed action against foreigners involved in hawking and certain small businesses, arguing that such activities should be reserved for Kenyans.
ITUC-Africa said the remarks had generated anxiety among migrant communities, noting reports that hundreds of Burundians subsequently sought travel documents to return home, while some foreign nationals reported threats and growing hostility.
The organisation, however, acknowledged a subsequent clarification by Kenya’s Foreign Affairs authorities that the President’s remarks should not be interpreted as a blanket prohibition on foreigners, adding that documented foreign nationals with the requisite permits and licences remained legally protected.
ITUC-Africa said the clarification was important but stressed that the effects of exclusionary rhetoric could not always be controlled through subsequent explanations once such language entered public discourse.
“Economic hardship must not be explained through nationality, nor should migrant workers and African traders become convenient scapegoats for structural problems of unemployment, inequality, informality and inadequate social protection,” Odigie said.
It noted that Kenya had the right to regulate employment, immigration and commercial activities and to protect workers and small enterprises from unlawful or unfair practices, but maintained that such measures should be enforced fairly and individually.
ITUC-Africa also linked the issue to Africa’s continental integration agenda, saying measures or rhetoric that encouraged Africans to see one another as economic threats ran contrary to the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The organisation recalled that AfCFTA was founded on the ambition of creating a single African market, facilitating the movement of persons, increasing intra-African trade and building an integrated and prosperous continent.
It further noted that President Ruto had recently argued that AfCFTA policies should make it easier, rather than harder, for micro, small and medium enterprises to participate in cross-border trade.
ITUC-Africa general secretary therefore called on the Kenyan government to ensure that enforcement measures were lawful, proportionate and non-discriminatory, while protecting migrant workers and traders from intimidation and violence.
It also urged the government to reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to Pan-African solidarity, regional integration and the AfCFTA.
“Africa is one. Africans must not become strangers to one another on their own continent,” the organisation said.
