- Regional trade body urges foreign traders to remain calm.
- CMSEO EA says the directive targets undocumented businesses, not lawful traders.
- Traders are urged to keep immigration and business documents in order.
Nairobi’s small business scene has been on edge lately, and now a regional trade body wants to bring the temperature down.
The Confederation of Micro and Small Enterprises Organisations of East Africa (CMSEO EA) put out a statement this week addressing a directive from the Kenyan government targeting foreign nationals in small scale trade and informal business. The confederation represents micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) along with informal sector workers across the East African Community (EAC).
According to the statement, CMSEO EA has reviewed recent clarifications from the Kenyan government and understands the directive is aimed squarely at illegal, undocumented and non-compliant activity. It isn’t, the confederation stresses, a blanket move against East African citizens who are properly documented and running legitimate businesses in Kenya.
That distinction matters a lot to the thousands of traders, entrepreneurs and employees from across the region who’ve built their livelihoods in Kenya. CMSEO EA is urging all of them to stay calm and make sure their immigration status, work permits, business licenses and other required documents are current. Anyone with the right paperwork, the statement says, remains legally protected to operate in the country.
The confederation frames the issue as bigger than any single directive. It points to EAC’s Common Market principles, which are meant to allow the free movement of goods, people, labour, services and capital across member states.
YOU MAY WANT TO READ:
Thousands of Kenyans, the statement notes, live, work, trade and invest across Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), playing their own part in those economies. The implication is whatever Kenya does here could set a precedent that cuts both ways.
Calls for fair enforcement
CMSEO EA isn’t just asking businesses to comply. It’s also calling on Kenya and other EAC partner states to handle immigration and regulatory concerns through lawful, transparent and non-discriminatory enforcement, while still protecting legitimate businesses and the broader spirit of regional integration.
The confederation went further, appealing to all stakeholders to reject misinformation, harassment, intimidation or any form of discrimination against East African entrepreneurs and workers operating within the law.
It says it plans to keep working alongside the Kenyan government and national MSME and informal sector associations, helping circulate accurate information and support compliance where it’s needed.
CMSEO EA closed its statement with a straightforward summary of what it wants people to take away. Remain calm. Comply with the law. Keep your documentation in order. Continue contributing peacefully to East Africa’s economy.
By Benedict Aoya
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
