Kenya has raised the alarm over foreigners using the country’s visa-free entry and investor or tourist status to engage in employment, retail trade and other commercial activities without the required work permits.
- •The government said it has detected a growing number of foreigners operating in the local retail and trade sectors, prompting a fresh push to enforce immigration and work permit rules.
- •In a statement, Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui warned that visa-free entry into Kenya does not amount to permission to work, trade or operate a business.
- •The clarification comes days after President William Ruto directed the government to take action against foreigners operating small businesses and hawking activities that should ordinarily be undertaken by Kenyan traders.
“Visa-free entry or exemption from eTA requirements does not in itself confer the right to engage in employment, trade or business in Kenya,” Kinyanjui said.
President Ruto has argued that Kenya needs to protect opportunities for local traders, particularly those operating at the lower end of the economy, while encouraging foreign investors to bring capital, technology and productive capacity rather than compete with small Kenyan businesses.
Kenya abolished visa requirements for visitors from around the world two years ago and subsequently removed eTA requirements for citizens of most African countries in January 2025, measures the government said were designed to support tourism, investment and regional integration.
Kinyanjui said some visitors had deliberately misused tourist and investor status to undertake activities outside the terms of their immigration status.
“Persons found in contravention of the applicable visa provisions will have their visas revoked in accordance with the law,” he said.
The government has singled out the retail and local trade sectors, where the presence of foreign operators has increasingly become a politically sensitive issue. The government also sought to reassure East African Community nationals that the enforcement drive would be implemented in line with Kenya’s regional obligations.
Kenya is a member of the EAC and has committed to the free movement of people and goods under the Customs Union and wider regional integration framework. Immigration rules already provide for permit for EAC citizens who intend to reside, work, conduct business or trade in Kenya.
