What attracts foreigners to Kenya?

It’s perplexing why Burundians were the focus of the crackdown on foreigners working or running small businesses in Kenya. My visits to supermarkets leave no doubt that there are many foreigners from other countries.

Their attire and language betray them.  Maybe Burundi is a small country and unlikely to retaliate. Suppose we did that to Chinese or Americans?

Let’s give Burundi some airtime to explain why it has so many citizens in Kenya. Rwanda gets all the airtime. Burundi has about 15 million people on 28,000 square kilometres.

It’s densely populated, and the citizens are likely to look for economic “safety valves.” That is usually immigration. More like Europeans emigrating to the United States (US) in the 19th century or Agìkùyù from central Kenya.

But why to Kenya?

Let’s start with conspiracy theorists. They ask why no one “noticed Burundians coming through Rwanda, Uganda or Tanzania, a long enough trip to be detected.

They argue their presence could be purposeful: economically undermining those who have traditionally dominated small businesses like hawking in the city. 

Threatening to chase away Burundians will now pacify this group that lost market to Burundians, with eyes to 2027. Will some Burundians be naturalised like Shona or Makonde?

There is another attraction: Burundians in Kenya send money home and benefit from our stronger shilling, just like our remittances in US dollars and other currencies.

Let us note that Kenya has been a magnet for foreigners for thousands of years. Didn’t Bantus come from Congo, which neighbours Burundi or was part of the Congo before borders?

Take a DNA test, and you might be Burundian!

The Arabs have been here for over 1000 years. Add Persians. The Portuguese came and left, without any legacy beyond Fort Jesus. Then colonialism brought more: Indians, Nubians, Shona, Britons, Australians, Danes, Italians, Afrikaners and many other nationalities.

Today, many more nationalities have made Kenya their home, including Chinese, Tanzanians, Ugandans, Sudanese and many others.

What attracts so many to Kenya?

One is the weather. If you live in extreme weather in Dubai or Canada, you will appreciate the Kenyan weather, especially in Nairobi. Snow and dust storms are not fun.

Two is natural beauty romanticised in movies, books and songs. That includes parks and beaches. We forget the Great Rift and snow-peaked mountains, lakes and deserts.

Three is the welcoming nature of Kenyans. Why else do some ambassadors stay on after their tour of duty?  We are paradoxically more at home with foreigners than fellow Kenyans.

Do we still keep “cups for visitors”? Some argue the virulent tribalism was supposed to make it easier for “others” to be liked.

Four, is our dynamic and open economy. You can test your idea in Kenya, and if it works, you will become a millionaire. Think of M-Pesa (and all fintechs), Java, apartments,   expressway, nail parlours, kombucha, or even uji power.

Surprisingly, foreigners have won Nobel prizes for doing research in Kenya. Why do you think Nedbank wants a foothold in Kenya? Noted Absa Bank after Barclays?

Why are  Nigerians buying into our banks?

Five, Kenya has no “core owners” like, say, Anglo-Saxons in the US or royal families in European countries. Ownership is contested among tribes and regions.

That makes it easy for foreigners to get a space in that mix. With dynasties muted, that contest will go on, with Kenya becoming more “homely” to foreigners, seen as no threat to power wielders.

Six, Kenya is more welcoming to the rich and affluent since the Happy Valley days. They come as investors, tourists or adventurers. That seems to be the “Burundian sin”

Seven, foreigners easily blend into Kenya. We are used to Asians and mzungu.

Eight, dual citizenship ensures you can have the best of two worlds. It’s another question whether that encourages economic extraction.

Nine, despite our tribal differences, we have experienced relative peace, only shattered by post-election violence and protests. What have I missed out on as an attraction?

Will Kenya remain that welcoming? It seems so as long as the newcomers don’t threaten the political and economic powers.

And as long as Kenya does not get “core owners.” A few questions can keep you busy this week. One is how we integrate foreigners. The US is good at that, while Europe is struggling.

How can we integrate foreigners, or better, immigrants, into the economy to benefit from their ambition, creativity and ingenuity? Think of the US Silicon Valley.

Will they enrich the Kenyans genetic pool and help slowly kill tribalism and regionalism?

Finally, how will the US-China contest shape our views and reactions to foreigners, particularly when we start exploring and exporting rare and critical minerals plus oil?