‘Don’t Touch Any Kenyan in Burundi’ Musician Kidum Appeals for Calm Amid Crackdown on Foreign Traders

Renowned Burundian-born musician Jean-Pierre Nimbona, popularly known as Kidum, has broken his silence over the ongoing crackdown on foreign small-scale traders in Kenya, offering his personal 11-seater van to help displaced Burundians return home with dignity .

Kidum, who has called Kenya home since 1995 and is legally married to a Kenyan with children attending school in the country, shared an emotional statement while on tour in Canada. His message came as hundreds of Burundian nationals gathered at their embassy in Nairobi seeking emergency travel documents following President William Ruto’s directive ordering unlicensed foreign nationals to cease operating informal businesses such as hawking and street vending.

“Pictures I am getting from Nairobi are not good at all. What have Burundians and Rwandans done to be treated this way? Mandazi na chai ama kahawa jameni ni crime!?” Kidum wrote.

The musician offered his own vehicle to assist those needing to travel back to Burundi. “I have an 11-seater van. I am ready to put it in anyone’s disposal to take people home,” he stated .

Kidum urged Burundians back home not to retaliate against Kenyans living in Burundi. “Burundians in Burundi! Don’t touch any Kenyan in Burundi. Don’t do wrong just because others are doing bad things to you. Two wrongs are never right! Keep Kenyans safe in Burundi,” he appealed .

He extended the same appeal to Tanzania, saying the matter should be handled through diplomatic channels rather than hostility on the streets. “This is political. It shall be solved politically. Even Tanzania, don’t touch Kenyans, let this matter be resolved diplomatically!” .

Kidum also called on the Burundian Embassy to intervene and ensure their citizens could leave Kenya peacefully. “Our embassy! Could you at least stand for our people? At least they get a peaceful way to go home with dignity!” he appealed .

The musician, who fled Burundi’s civil war in the 1990s and rebuilt his life in Nairobi, emphasised his deep connection to Kenya. “I am Burundian! I am right now on tour in Canada! Kenya is my home since 1995, and I chose to be Kenyan with all my heart. My wife is Kenyan, and we are legally married and have children, and they are in school in Kenya,” he wrote .

In an emotional moment, he offered a prayer for his native country. “Oh God, if truly I am your servant and have been helping people on a little salary and accept any mockery from people, today I need you to do me a favour! Give Burundi back its lost glory, and I am not scared to say it. I know this can cost my life but so be it,” he said.