The clarification by Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui comes as Kenya seeks to maintain its visa-free regime, which the government says has supported tourism and investment, while ensuring that foreigners engaging in economic activities comply with separate regulatory requirements.
In a September 6 statement, Kinyanjui said Kenya’s visa-free entry policy, introduced in 2024 and expanded in 2025 to remove eTA requirements for citizens of most African countries, would remain in place.
However, he said authorities had identified the “deliberate misuse of visa applications,” with some visitors entering as tourists or investors before engaging in activities outside the terms of their visas.
The government also raised concerns over the number of foreigners involved in retail and local trade, saying their activities must comply with existing work-permit requirements.
“Persons found in contravention of the applicable visa provisions will have their visas revoked in accordance with the law,” Kinyanjui said.
He stressed that visa-free entry or an eTA exemption does not automatically grant foreigners the right to work, trade or operate a business in Kenya.
“Visa-free entry or exemption from eTA requirements does not in itself confer the right to engage in employment, trade or business in Kenya,” he said.
The distinction is significant because Kenya is attempting to balance an increasingly open approach to international travel with tighter controls over economic activities reserved for, or regulated among, people operating under specific work and business permissions.
Kenya wants investors, not foreign hawkers
The crackdown follows President William Ruto’s directive to restrict foreigners operating small-scale businesses that should be reserved for Kenyan citizens.
“We have not built investor confidence for hawkers to come to Kenya,” Ruto said, drawing a distinction between large-scale foreign investment and small businesses competing directly with locals.
The policy comes amid a broader push to ensure foreign businesses create more jobs and local economic value.
Days earlier, Ruto ordered Indian-owned Tata Chemicals to stop operating in Kenya, accusing it of failing to establish factories and create sufficient jobs. Tata disputed the claims and said it remained compliant with regulations.
The measures highlight Kenya’s position: foreigners remain welcome to enter and invest, but visa-free entry does not give them unrestricted access to the labour or commercial market.
