My Opinion: Protecting Kenyan Traders Is a Legitimate Government Responsibility

There is a reasonable argument for the government to reserve certain categories of small-scale businesses for Kenyan citizens.

A Kenyan who has invested their savings in a kiosk, clothing stall, hardware shop or small retail outlet should not have to compete against businesses operating outside the country's immigration, licensing or work-permit rules.

The government is therefore justified in enforcing existing laws. Foreign nationals who want to work or operate businesses in Kenya should meet the same legal requirements expected of everyone else. The government has also clarified that visa-free entry does not automatically give foreigners the right to work, trade or operate a business.

There is also a legitimate local-content argument.

If Kenya's economy is to create enough opportunities for its rapidly growing population, the government cannot simply watch as citizens lose access to sectors that require relatively little capital and provide livelihoods to thousands of households.

However, enforcement must be lawful, targeted and predictable.

A foreign trader with the necessary permits and licences should not be treated the same way as someone operating illegally. The government's decision to provide a 90-day window for affected foreign traders to regularise their immigration, work-permit, registration and licensing status is therefore a more constructive approach than indiscriminate enforcement.

Protecting Kenyan enterprise does not have to mean hostility toward foreigners. It means establishing clear rules and applying them consistently.