Why Majority of Kenyans Say they Would Like to Leave the Country and Settle Abroad

A majority of Kenyans say that they would love to leave the country given an opportunity.

Most of Kenyans recently interviewed by Sunday Nation mentioned corruption, tribalism, and impunity as the main reasons why they would like to move to another country.

Many were wondering why opposition politician Miguna Miguna, who was recently kicked out of the country for the second time, was fighting to return to Kenya. They wished they had an opportunity, just like Miguna, to be anywhere other than Kenya.

However, respondents seemed clueless of the difficulties they would face abroad if they landed there without the kind of skills individuals like Miguna have. Miguna is a Canadian-trained lawyer.

25-year-old Trev Kamau, wishes he was the one being forced into a flight and taken to Finland because he can't secure a job in Kenya, thanks to corruption.

“You have to bribe for any service in this depressing failed state we call our country,” he says.

A study released last month by the Pew Research Center showed that 54 per cent of Kenyans would love to move to a different country. Those who have been privileged to leave the country said life is better out there, citing higher-quality housing, education, and healthcare.

Assaya Imaya, a Kenyan living in London, said: “I first moved to Malawi and I was able to lead a life I could hitherto only envision in wild dreams: a big house, a car, eating out. I had never imagined going on holiday until I stepped out of Kenya."

He doesn't see himself leaving the leafy South-Croydon suburb to return to Kenya. Unemployment is the main reason why a majority of Kenyan youths would like to go and try it in another country.

“To get a job in Kenya you must come from the politically correct tribe, and all other qualifications are secondary,” Wilson Kaikai, an economist with an international development organisation, says, adding that “corruption is so pervasive that for one to join the police, one must pay up to Sh400,000 in a bribe”.

"Once you fork out such huge bribes, you are forced to engage in corruption to recoup your money and pay your seniors interminable protection fees to survive on the job," Mr Kaikai says.

The Nation established that life is not a walk in the park abroad either, as prices of basic commodities are relatively high compared to Kenya. For instance, an avocado goes for an equivalent of Sh500 in Chicago, while a one-bedroom apartment costs Sh200,000.

Some respondents in diaspora also said that racism remains a reality in developed countries. It is also an uphill task to adapt to life abroad.

 Mr Imaya said, “It takes time to understand the system and to transform from the Kenyan way of life, including unlearning bad driving habits.”