Kenyan legislators have condemned the harassment of foreign nationals living in the country in the wake of a presidential directive for undocumented foreigners to leave.

Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana, who is also Kenya’s head of delegation to the Pan-African Parliament, termed the attacks particularly targeting Burundi citizens, “shameful”.

The lawmaker said the harassment, assault, and destruction of foreign traders’ businesses is a blot on Kenya’s image as a champion of African brotherhood and spirit.

“Those few criminal elements who are taking action that is anti-Burundi, anti-East Africa, anti-Africa are not a representation of who we are as Kenyans,” he said at a press briefing held in parliament on Tuesday.
The same day, the presidency gave foreign nationals 90 days to regularise their stay by registering with the relevant authorities and acquiring the required documents.
The announcement came after a crackdown on foreign illegal traders began on Monday, following a presidential directive on September 2.

Mr Mungatana said that “Kenya must not become a country where fellow Africans are harassed, intimidated or targeted because of their nationality.”
“We have grown up in this country welcoming Ugandans when they had problems, welcoming Somalians when they had problems. Welcoming everyone. We have grown up in the EAC and the African spirit.”

The senator recently moved a motion before the Pan-African Parliament calling for stronger measures to prevent and eliminate xenophobic violence against African nationals in South Africa.

“It would be contradictory for us to condemn xenophobia when it happens to Kenyans or other Africans abroad, while remaining silent when fellow Africans face hostility here in Kenya,” he said.

Pan-African Parliament members, during a recent debate, reaffirmed that violence, intimidation and discrimination against fellow Africans are incompatible with pan-Africanism, Ubuntu and the vision of an integrated continent.

The legislator challenged the National Intelligence Service, the National Police Service and the Interior Ministry to decisively deal with the perpetrators of attacks against African foreigners.

“We need to ask ourselves question, where was intelligence when this happened? The minister needs to answer why are citizens from other nations in Africa being treated in this manner? We are better than that as Kenya. The minister for internal security should come out very strongly against the few characters who are spoiling our name and all the effort we have made.”