Do Kenyans In Diaspora Regret Relocating?

I am more worried about the criminals amongst us like these ones here…

FBI brings back cybercriminals who looted millions from the US while working from Kenya:

https://ksnmedia.com/2019/09/fbi-how-kenyans-stole-over-sh300-million-from-us-firms/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=whatsapp&utm_source=im

And then here’s Jeff Koinange exaggerating his life experiences while living in the US:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EL_WtZtTZo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17eCpT7zYps

yes they do

USA to Kenya is a tough transition. You need to plan way ahead and actually try living temporarily before making the final move. That way you can adjust how you spend your money. You can’t spend as easy as you do in the First world. Bottom line is you make a home where your heart is. Adjust to the living conditions there. You can make the moon your home if you choose.

Best decision I ever made. The thing that makes life hard in the diaspora is the lack of" makaratasi". If your “makaratasi” are in order you can achieve any and everything. One word of advice is to always keep an eye and ear out to learn whats going on in the motherland(those who listened were able to buy plots, land, build apartments e.t.c.) and always know East or West home is the best…don’t be distracted by unnecessary things like big houses, cars, tv’s, jewellery, vacations, drunkenness, baby mama drama e…tc. Pinch your pennies, invest both in the diaspora and in Kenya.

who would regret leaving this shithole for the US?. affordable brand new cars, very affordable used cars in great condition, great Mortgage, plethora of electronics, worldclass hospitals full of professionals, i would rather take my chances with US cops than continue living here tbh.

i would… having been away from for more than 20 years with all honesty say that my life would have been better had i stayed home

Can you expound why, i do believe certain circumstances could make one feel that way though.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda… stick with what you have.

He probably came to the US with that Kenyan mentality of easy life = easy money.

it depends on the circumstances ilikuleta majuu na status yako kama ulikuwa msoto then sidhani kuna any regrets if you work hard unanunua gari ,you can live in a good neighborhood depending ile state uko [ia unaweza kwamua watu home basically you can see the fruits of your labour .if you have a young family then generations from now they could be telling your story venye ulifika huku.

I used to be very pro going back to Kenya, and investing at “home”, not anymore. Believe it or not, climate change has influenced this decision in a major way. That and the general lack of direction caused by bad politics. I was in Kenya during what should have been the coldest season, but what I experienced left no doubt in my mind that the country will be uninhabitable in 10+ years. It didn’t rain even once. What’s going to happen when ndakaini dam dries up because it will. Underground reserves are at their lowest. My parents’ borehole for the first time gave a low water level warning.

I still remember when Nairobi used to be cold and wet. We used to say Nairobi si kama Mombasa, it’s cold in the big city, but nowadays there’s no difference in the temperatures. Trees have long been replaced by unplanned concrete jungles. There’s too many young people barely surviving oh and total chaos in the matatu industry. You’re never sure if you’ll arrive at your destination or end up dead, given with the rogue drivers everywhere.

So I took all those factors into account and right now I honestly, really regret investing heavily back home. My plan is to liquidate 50% and GTHO. I’m starting to appreciate this new-found land. America has managed to conserve their environment in a big way, they have significant fresh water reserves, a good economy, there’s a sense of hope for future generations. Kenya’s future terrifies me, so unless things change me and mine are staying here permanently.

I agree entirely. What worries me the most about Nairobi is the traffic situation. I was in Kenya last month and could not comprehend how it seemed like it took us fewer hours to drive from upcountry than it took us to navigate through the city to get to Ngong suburbs. The atrocious traffic took us more than 3 hrs to navigate our way through the city yet it was already after rush hour. I swear my frustration was unbearable.

One tough thing na US you cannot work past a certain age but circumstances demand you have to work to pay your bills i have seen old guys past 70 doing the same job na 20 year olds hii kitu inatisha wakenya wengi hence investing back home at least ukuwe comfortable in your sunset years

There are ways to plan and avoid such. Some of us don’t have to go thru those scenarios. It takes planning and stickin on one job for a long time to earn future benefits or saving wisely if you are in self-employment.

@FieldMarshal CouchP your sage wisdom is needed.

Thread please, it will put things in a different perspective.
Sometimes all these ‘success’ stories folks out there put up are just made up fantasies.

Global warming is affecting the whole world from Alaska to Australia, massive loss of ice from the North to the South pole and rising sea levels.
Trying to pass if off as a Kenyan occurrence is being simplistic.
Why else do you think those hurricanes threatening the US are getting bigger and more frequent?
Highest average temperatures have been recorded in the US in subsequent years than in any other period in the past meaning almost irreversible damage and change to weather patterns.
For now I won’t even get into the politics of it.

There are many success stories. But there are also many failures. Dont believe what you see on IG, facebook. Or the ones who visit home and make it rain. The most successful Kenyans just quietly push their lives. Many have little social media presence. Those flossers are mosly people without a stable life. Dont hold stable jobs, move from Kunguru to Kunguru house , etc. Huge success in 2nd generation Kenyans thanks to their parents. Some parents didnt make it big but their kids will.

I landed in America eons ago, on a cold Chicago night with only $ 154 and a tuition check; I had completed my Graduate Diploma at Strathmore, those days of IMIS. I remember earning KShs.15,000 for my first paycheck, but I felt that I could do more and that is how I planned to try my chances in America. My parents were civil servants who had sacrificed all their lives for their 3 children to get the best in life and with that in mind, I prayed to God to keep me strong so I would do them proud. My first job was at Dunkin Donuts; $ 5.75 Hr, across from my apartment and had to walk since it was winter. To make matters worse we did not have makaratasi so we have to find ways to make it work. School + work + Prayers kept me going and in 4 years time, I had accomplished what had brought me to the diaspora and God was faithful I got a job that sponsored me for those makaratasi. It is amazing that with such an hourly rate I was able to do buy mugundas, doesn’t matter how much you earn but how you save, I think the more you make the more you lose your hustling skills.

My first car was a Nissan Sentra sold to me by a cucu, it only had 35,000 miles and I drove that car to the ground, 195,000 miles till my wife complained that I needed a better car after we had a baby, and despite having an excellent salary, I settled for a Prius. I used to envy those friends and acquaintances who never went to school(they had those Makaratasi), drove Escalades, had well-furnished apartments, shopped at JC-Penny and Macy’s(while we went to Walmart), partied every weekend but as one songster said:" yote ni vanity". 10-15 years later those friends are making that $ 11 and they are the ones working 18 hours a day to survive and raise a family, many have regrets and some are trying to get those educational papers and a career.

@Purple, yes we buy too much mugunda and then realize that our main lives are in the diaspora but you know what they say in Kikuyu,“tiiri ndufuthaga”…roughly translated to " the soil does not rot". You can always sell that land and implement some project so you should not regret it.
As @Mangele said people should learn that by sticking to one employer you get benefits like pension, 401 K and career mobility and sometimes lifetime health benefits for you and your spouse.

Do I regret anything? I can’t say so but I miss that I can’t just wake up one day and drive home and have a cup of tea with the parents, have a talk as adults, carry some milk and potatoes back to their grandkids in the city. I visit every other year and they come to visit but its never the same despite talking twice a week. But I give thanks to God for what he has helped me achieve for myself, parents and siblings.
America or diaspora is tough, you need the Almighty(Or whatever Super Being you believe in) to guide you. Work hard, play smart, keep cool and of all things pray for a partner who will complement you: FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.

GOP babe, si baba Trump na FOX walisema climate change no Chinese Hoax ?