Anthony Waweru (left) and Nelly Onyango at JKIA after landing on July 2,2026. They are some of the Kenyans repatriated from South Africa following escalating anti-migrant protests.
While dozens of Kenyans have fled South Africa in recent weeks citing fears for their safety amid anti-immigrant protests, others who remain insist the unrest does not reflect the entire country.
The protests have left businesses looted, jobs lost, and livelihoods destroyed in parts of South Africa, forcing many foreigners, including Kenyans, to return home. Yet, in cities such as Cape Town, some Kenyan students and professionals say life has largely continued uninterrupted despite heightened vigilance.
Taken together, their stories reveal two South Africas: one where violence and fear have forced foreigners to abandon the lives they built, and another where many continue to study, work and pursue their dreams, convinced the unrest is confined to a handful of hotspots.
Bellian Wambugu is among those who decided to return.
After living and working in South Africa for years, he landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, relieved to be home but heartbroken over what he had left behind.
“We are so happy to have returned home safely also want to thank the Kenyan government. When all this started, they helped us and ensured we got back home safely,” he said.
Wambugu praised officials at Kenya's High Commission in Pretoria for facilitating the repatriation process by issuing travel documents that enabled stranded Kenyans to safely reach the embassy before their journey home.
He said many black African foreigners were specifically targeted during the unrest.
“If you walk through the streets, you will hardly see a white person being targeted. People have lost jobs, businesses have been looted, and foreigners are being told to go back to their countries,” he said.
Having lost his own job, Wambugu urged investors considering leaving South Africa to relocate to Kenya instead.
Ali*, who requested that only his first name be used, said he fled Durban after losing property worth millions of shillings.
Hostility
“My properties worth millions were destroyed. My phone was stolen, and I even lost one of my front teeth. The Kenyan embassy really came through for us,” he said.
But hundreds of kilometres away in Cape Town, the picture is markedly different.
Kairu Karega, a Kenyan pursuing a Master's degree in Documentary Arts at the University of Cape Town under the Mandela Rhodes Foundation Scholarship, said he has not personally experienced anti-immigrant hostility despite the unrest, though the reports have left him more vigilant.
Anthony Waweru (left) and Nelly Onyango at JKIA after landing on July 2,2026. They are some of the Kenyans repatriated from South Africa following escalating anti-migrant protests.
“I'm privileged to be in Cape Town, which, from my perspective, is relatively safer and calmer,” he said. “I haven't experienced any anti-immigrant sentiment personally, but the situation has put me on high alert. There is some anxiety, of course, but life has largely remained calm where I am.”
Karega said the unrest has not disrupted his studies or daily routine, although he has become more cautious about his movements.
He told Nation in an interview that support from both the university and the Mandela Rhodes Foundation had helped reassure international students.
"The university has been sharing information, emergency contacts and counselling services for students who may be feeling distressed. The scholarship programme has also provided counsellors and support lines. Knowing those systems are in place gives you confidence that you're not facing the situation alone,” he explained.
Karega added that South African students had also rallied behind their international counterparts. Even the Kenyan High Commission has been sharing information on how students can access assistance if they need it.
While acknowledging the fear among many Kenyans following reports of the protests, Karega said his own experience had convinced him that the violence should not define the country.
“I still feel safe living in South Africa. Yes, there are incidents happening in some parts of the country, but they do not reflect the larger South African society. The people I have interacted with have been warm, welcoming and kind,” he said.
On her part, Faith*, a Kenyan pursuing a postgraduate degree at a South African university, said the unrest has caused anxiety among her family in Kenya even though she has not experienced any direct hostility.
She said her university has kept international students informed through regular safety advisories, emergency contacts and counselling services, while lecturers and fellow students have remained supportive.
“Naturally, I became more conscious of my surroundings. I stopped moving around unnecessarily and paid closer attention to updates from the university and the Kenyan High Commission. My classmates have reassured us that what is happening in some areas doesn't represent how most South Africans feel about foreigners,” she said.
Joseph Gichini (left), Anthony Waweru and Nelly Onyango who were repatriated from South Africa following escalating anti-migrant protests at JKIA after landing on July 2,2026.
Although she described it as heartbreaking to watch fellow Kenyans return home after losing businesses and jobs, Faith said her own experience had been markedly different.
She admitted that watching some of her Kenyan friends leave had changed campus life. Faith urged people not to judge the entire country by events unfolding in a few hotspots.
“A few of my Kenyan friends have already gone back home, and I miss them. We used to meet after classes or over the weekends, but now our conversations are mostly on WhatsApp. I'm happy they're safe, but it's sad because none of us imagined our time here would be interrupted like this. It has changed the atmosphere for those of us who are still here,” she said.
For Audrey Okello, however, the uncertainty proved too much.
Although she had been living in Cape Town, she said the growing tension convinced her to return to Kenya despite initially believing the violence would subside.
“Living in Cape Town was actually a huge dream of mine, but being a foreigner put me at high risk. I decided to come back to Kenya and wait to see whether things would improve, but they have actually become worse," she said.
Anthony Gathura, who moved to Johannesburg in 2025 hoping for better opportunities, said the unrest shattered those expectations.
"I thought life would be better, but it wasn't. I almost became a slave, but I thank God and the Kenyan government for helping us," he said.
Muriuki Josiah, a Kenyan student who has been in South Africa since 2020, said that while his area has not experienced anti-immigrant protests, the unrest elsewhere in the country has created anxiety among many international students.
"There haven't been protests where I stay and study, so I haven't been directly affected," he said. "But once you go online and see what's happening in other parts of the country, you begin to think it could happen to anyone. That's where the fear comes from."
He said the unrest has not disrupted his studies but has changed how he interacts with people.
"My classes have continued as usual, but socially, things are different. You become more cautious because you don't know who you're interacting with or how they feel about foreigners. Whether you're taking a cab, going to a restaurant, or simply walking around, you're constantly asking yourself whether you're safe."
He admitted the stories of returnees had affected him emotionally.
"What really stayed with me was listening to people who had spent decades building lives here only to lose everything overnight. It reminds you how quickly life can change."
Even so, he encouraged Kenyan students considering studying abroad not to let the crisis discourage them.
Mary Muthoni, a Kenyan human rights lawyer pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in South Africa, said the unrest has made her more cautious even though the protests have not reached the area where she lives.
According to her, the concern shown by family and friends in Kenya has been reassuring during the uncertainty. Although her studies have continued uninterrupted, Muthoni said the unrest has taken an emotional toll on many international students.
“It reminds you that you're living away from home. As an international student, your focus is to complete your education, but situations like these naturally create anxiety and uncertainty,”she said.
One of the biggest sources of comfort has been the close-knit Kenyan student community in South Africa, recalling how Kenyan students recently came together to prepare familiar meals as a way of supporting one another during the difficult period.
On June 30, they met, cooked chapatis, mandazis and even made smochas. Muthoni said the University of Pretoria, fellow students and her scholarship programme have continued to provide support and reassurance throughout the unrest.
"South Africa is a large and diverse country, so experiences differ depending on where you are. The incidents reported in the media are serious and should never be ignored, but they have not reflected my day-to-day interactions. I have met many South Africans who are welcoming, supportive and respectful of international students,” she said.
She urged Kenyans considering studying or working in South Africa to remain informed while avoiding conclusions based solely on headlines.
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