National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has defended President William Ruto’s call for foreign nationals living and doing business in Kenya to regularize their status, saying the directive is aimed at enforcing existing laws and protecting opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
Wetang’ula said Kenya remains open to foreign investors and other nationals but insisted that those operating businesses in the country must have the required documentation, licences and permits.
Speaking during a boda boda empowerment drive in Endebess Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, Wetang’ula said Ruto’s remarks should not be interpreted as an attempt to shut Kenya’s doors to other Africans.
He said Kenya continues to welcome visitors and investors from across Africa, including citizens of East African Community (EAC) member states, while making it easier for Africans to enter the country.
“What the President wants, and all of us want, is that when you leave Kenya for Uganda, you must register yourself with the authorities so that they know a visitor has entered our territory, not to bar you in any way,” Wetang’ula said.
He said the same principle should apply to EAC nationals entering Kenya, arguing that authorities need to know who is entering the country and the purpose of their visit.
Wetang’ula said Kenya welcomed legitimate investment but questioned whether foreigners entering the country as investors only to engage in small-scale trading should be considered investors when similar businesses could be undertaken by Kenyans.
“However, the people we don’t want to hear about are those who come to Kenya as investors but you get them selling maize in a local market. Is that investment really?” he posed.
The Speaker said certain economic opportunities should be protected for Kenyan traders and entrepreneurs, particularly those operating small businesses.
Wetang’ula also dismissed concerns that the Government was becoming hostile to other Africans, pointing to Ruto’s decision to allow Africans from other countries to enter Kenya without visas.
“President Ruto has been the first president to allow other Africans from African nations to enter Kenya visa-free,” he said, adding that Kenya was willing to accommodate anyone ready to contribute to the country’s development.
Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe similarly defended the President, saying his remarks had been misconstrued by the opposition.
Mugabe said Ruto’s call for foreigners running small businesses or engaging in casual work without the required licences to regularize their status was aimed at enforcing existing laws rather than discriminating against foreigners.
“Just recently the President announced that foreigners doing menial jobs or running small businesses without licences should regularize themselves with the authorities. The opposition were the first people to oppose the move, but we know President Ruto did not mean any harm in his utterances,” Mugabe said.
He said the Government was particularly concerned about foreigners engaging in petty trade without the necessary authorization, arguing that some businesses and informal economic activities should remain opportunities for Kenyans.
Mugabe also called for tighter monitoring of people entering Kenya through unofficial routes, saying registration was necessary for national security and proper immigration management.
“We want to know all those residents of the EAC coming to Kenya. We don’t want some of them using panya routes to enter the country,” he said.
The comments come amid renewed debate over the participation of foreign nationals in Kenya’s informal economy, with concerns over competition for jobs and small-business opportunities pitting local traders against foreign nationals.
Wetang’ula said the Government should, however, enforce immigration, work permit and business licensing regulations fairly and consistently.
He stressed that Kenya should continue attracting investment while ensuring that foreign businesses did not unfairly disadvantage local entrepreneurs.
The Speaker also used the Endebess empowerment drive to rally residents behind President Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027, urging voters to support continuity of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
He cited the reduction of fertiliser prices from about KSh7,500 to KSh2,500 for a 50-kilogramme bag, infrastructure projects including the dualling of the Rironi-Malaba road corridor, construction and improvement of markets, and the recruitment of teachers as some of the Government’s achievements.
Wetang’ula said continuity would allow the administration to consolidate programmes in agriculture, infrastructure, education and enterprise development.
He also urged residents to scrutinize the opposition’s agenda and demand practical policy alternatives rather than criticism of the Government.
