A Burudian trader has pleaded with President Ruto to reconsider his decision of deporting foreign small-scale business owners urging that they are only hustling.
“We are human beings hustling to feed our families, not Stealing.”
The Emotional Appeal has since touched many Kenyans including Geoffrey Mosiria who asked the head of state to reconsider the crack down.
In a video shared by Nairobi’s Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria, the trader is seen removing his hat before addressing the head of state.
It’s this act of patriotism that has sparked widespread online sympathy across Kenya.
The scene unfolded when Nairobi official Geoffrey Mosiria stopped the roadside hat vendor, buying a cap to strike up a conversation.
Mosiria asked what would happen if he bought a hat from him.
“If you buy this, it gives me fare to go back home on Monday as we were told to return on Monday,” the vendor explained.
Mosiria asked him what he would do upon returning home.
“I will look for a way to send something back home to support my family,” he replied.
When Mosiria asked why he didn’t run a larger enterprise, like selling cars, the vendor noted that capital is scarce, so he carries heavy loads just to survive.
Mosiria then asked if Kenyan youth would take on such labor.
“No,” the vendor replied. “Youth refuse this work, preferring to live comfortably.”
He clarified that a Kenyan pays them, as they take the hats from a Kenyan to sell to other Kenyans, meaning the business belongs to Kenyans and the money stays in the country.
He emphasized that his business actually supports the local economy: he sources his inventory from a Kenyan supplier, pays rent to a Kenyan landlord, pays local taxes, and is married to a Kenyan woman with whom he shares children.
“We are human beings hustling to feed our families, not stealing,” he appealed to the President.
Moved by the encounter, Mosiria joined the plea, urging President Ruto to reconsider the crackdown.
Pointing out that foreign traders fill roles local youth decline, Mosiria advocated for stronger East African Community integration, suggesting the government legalize and license foreign vendors so they can operate openly and contribute to the nation’s tax base.
