If you are a foreign national from East Africa doing small business in Kenya, you are required to regularize your stay under the new law.
Go to the Kenya eFNS portal on eCitizen and apply for a Class R Permit.
This is the special permit for all East African Community nationals.
That includes Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC, South Sudan and Somalia.
The permit itself is FREE. The processing fee is Kshs 0 and the issuance fee is Kshs 0.
This was gazetted in the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Amendment Regulations 2024 by Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi.
However, you will need to pay about Ksh 5,000 per year for Alien Registration which is the Foreign National ID.
For documents, you will need your valid passport, a cover letter explaining what you do, your KRA PIN if you are doing business, and a police clearance for small traders.
The application starts online but you must print the forms and submit them physically at Immigration offices at Nyayo House in Nairobi.
It is the legal way to live, work and trade in Kenya as an EAC citizen and your right is protected by the EAC free movement treaty.
