A Kenyan living in Germany, has cautioned those planning to relocate abroad without a clear picture of what they want to do out there to reconsider their plans.
David who has been in Germany for some years now – took to Facebook – where he posted a message that left many Kenyans who may have been planning to escape abroad in search of a better life beyond the borders scratching their heads in confusion.
His post read: “After shedding a tear or two for one a sister or brother, who the system has completely run over, many still have persistently asked, “si aki majuu ni kuzuri.Mimi naweza fanya juu chini kuja hapo”. It may look super attractive to those who’ve not experienced it.
However, as the old Swahili saying goes “Ukiona vyaelea, vimeundwa”.
“The simple response I would give you is “it’s cut-throat competition, it’s not for the faint-hearted, it’s not for the whimpering type, it’s capitalism and materialism at its peak.Please don’t try it if you are not ready for it,” David went on to say.
Although there are many Kenyans doing just fine abroad – one can tell from the message that it’s never a cakewalk – and many have failed to make it abroad leading to tears. It’s just the system.
Another Kenyan – Samora – while following the conversation reacted saying:
“I tried it and realised it and that’s why you see me here in Kenya happy and unpressured.. You make a wonderful point.. I will be visiting soon.
“I was in China for a few years. I had to be Shark to survive,” said another.
Many Kenyans have opened about their experiences abroad – with many of them having to do up to three jobs a day just to survive.
There are those who have told shocking tales.
One lady narrated how she once fell asleep on the steering wheel at the traffic lights stop in the US.
“I had not slept for days. There is not time to sleep because you need to pay bills – and everyone is in a rush,” the former journalist told a Youtube Channel upon her return to Kenya after 8 years.
“I am not going back there,” she had said.
Reports indicate that there are over 3 million Kenyans living abroad spread across Asia, Europe, America, Caribbean and Australia.
Most of these are students – while a good chunk went to settle in search of jobs and a better life – and most send money back home.
In March 2021 – Kenyans in the diaspora sent home Sh31.5 billion ($290.8) shrugging off the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) the remittances grew 27 per cent from Sh24.8 billion sent home in March 2020.
The United States remains the biggest source of remittances to Kenya at 55.9, United Kingdom is at 11.2 percent, Saudi Arabia at 4 percent then Canada and Australia at 3 percent.
“Remittances in March 2021 amounted to $290.8 million (Sh31.5 billion), compared to $228.8 million (Sh24.8 billion) in March 2020, an increase of 27.1 per cent,” said CBK in a statement.
This explains why President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015 launched Kenya’s first-ever diaspora policy, to encourage investment, keep track of Kenyans abroad and involve them in the country’s development.
“The president talked to us as a group, as a diaspora, and he told us one or two things. But when it came to serious matters, he had a meeting with Americans our age and gave them opportunities. We need to be treated the same. We’d like to see more of them, including us,” Comfort Mwangi of the Confederation of Kenya Diaspora Organizations in Florida, USA, told Voice of America at the time.
He said many Kenyans abroad have felt marginalized by the Kenyan government.