The Burundi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Cooperation for Development confirmed the plans in a statement on September 7, 2026.
The ministry said it was coordinating with the Burundi Embassy in Nairobi to dispatch buses to Kenya and issue free travel documents to citizens wishing to return home.
Footage obtained by local media on Monday showed large crowds of Burundian nationals streaming into the Machakos Country Bus Station with their luggage, seeking transport back home.
Hundreds more gathered outside the Burundi Embassy in Nairobi seeking the free repatriation documents.
Similar scenes played out at the Kenya-Uganda border in Malaba, where anxious travellers scrambled to secure bus tickets home.
President Ruto had, on September 2, directed authorities to begin dismantling small-scale retail and hawking businesses run by foreigners across Kenya, with enforcement taking effect on September 7.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said most affected foreign traders had violated their visa or regulatory conditions, while those with valid visas would need to obtain an operating license before resuming business.
The Burundi ministry raised concern over the safety of its nationals, saying several traders had faced dispossession and unjustified violence while conducting business.
It added that Ruto's directive had heightened tensions and triggered further attacks on Burundian citizens in Kenya.
Burundi warned that responsibility for the safety of its nationals rested with the Kenyan government, and said it reserved the right to respond under the principle of reciprocity should any harm befall its citizens.
The ministry maintained respect for Kenya's sovereign trade decisions but urged authorities to safeguard human dignity, describing the East African Community as one united family.
Some Burundian nationals have appealed to Ruto to relax the directive, saying it caught them unprepared.
