NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 10 – Uganda’s Minister for East African Community Affairs Rebecca Kadaga has urged Ugandans living and doing business in Kenya to regularise their stay and comply with the country’s laws.
Kadaga said President William Ruto’s directive to crack down on illegal foreign traders should not be interpreted as an order to expel Ugandans from Kenya, but as a call for them to register and obtain the necessary permits and licences.
“No, I don’t want this matter to be understood as an expulsion of non-Kenyans. It’s a directive to register and regularise their stay. Those who are doing business should get licences, get bank accounts and have an address instead of just walking around hawking. So, it is to regularise, not to expel,” Kadaga told NBS TV.
She said the East African Community Common Market Protocol allows citizens of member states to move and work across the region, but does not exempt them from complying with the laws of the host country.
“We are not yet a federation, so we still have sovereign obligations and sovereign rights. The protocol allows people to move and work in different partner states, but I think you need to do it through the proper means,” she said.
Kadaga said Ugandans intending to stay or conduct business in Kenya should inform the relevant authorities and obtain the necessary documentation.
“You don’t just walk in and say, ‘I’m taking this land here.’ You should apply and inform the partner that I’m coming to stay in your country, I’m so-and-so and I’m coming to do ABCD here, so that they know where you are,” she said.
President Ruto on Monday directed a crackdown on illegal foreign traders engaged in small-scale businesses such as kiosks and hawking, saying such businesses should be reserved for Kenyans.
The directive triggered tension among foreign traders, including Ugandans and Burundians, with some businesses closing while others were seen leaving the country through major bus stations in Nairobi.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei later apologised to Burundian nationals over harassment linked to confusion surrounding the crackdown on unlicensed foreign traders.
Sing’oei, who visited the Burundian Embassy in Nairobi, assured the nationals of tighter security as they regularise their documentation.
The PS had earlier said Ruto’s remarks had been “taken out of context”, arguing that the President was referring to provisions in the Local Content Bill currently before Parliament.
Kadaga’s remarks come amid renewed debate over the implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol and the rights of citizens of partner states to move, work and conduct business across the region.
