President William Ruto has ordered a crackdown on foreigners operating small businesses in Kenya, directing that the exercise begin on Monday.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Speaking on Wednesday, the president said the government would shut down foreigners engaged in small-scale trade, arguing that such businesses should be reserved for Kenyans.

“We have made efforts to improve the economy. We have not improved investor confidence for hawkers to come to Kenya,” Ruto said.

He directed National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah and Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui to fast-track the Trade Bill currently before Parliament.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to Ruto, the proposed law will identify businesses that should be exclusively reserved for Kenyan citizens.

“We have a Bill in Parliament on Trade. In that Bill, we have proposed that there should be businesses that foreigners should not do here in Kenya, by law,” he said.

Ruto said foreigners should not be allowed to engage in hawking or operate small retail shops in the country.

“It cannot be that a person comes from China or elsewhere to be a hawker or open a small shop,” he added.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke