US-Born Kenyan-American Man Permanently Moves to Kenya to Start Organic Farming

When he came to Kenya for the first time in 2015, Kungo Kihokia’s intention was to stay for a few weeks then go back to the US, where he was born and raised.

But his stay in the country made the Kenyan-American change his mind about returning to his birthplace - Miami, Florida.

In a recent interview with Ghanaian YouTuber Wode Maya, Kunga opened up on his decision to permanently move to Kenya, where he established an organic farm.

“Once I got back home, I realized what had happened in America 25 years ago is starting to happen in the African continent which is the rise of lifestyle diseases.”

“One of the reasons that made me come back home was I had achieved a certain measure of financial success but I was unhappy, unhealthy. I decided to come back to nature,” said Kunga.

Kunga, who currently owns and operates a 20-acre organic farm in Murang’a County, says although his decision to move to Kenya from the US seemed crazy, it’s one of the best decisions he has ever made.

He started the organic farm to address the challenge of lifestyle diseases and besides creating employment opportunities, he also makes good profit. On the farm, Kunga grows maize, vegetables, fruits among other plants.

“Nothing great was ever accomplished by someone who wasn’t called crazy. Being raised in Florida is home but at a particular point in time, I realized every human being on the face of this earth has a place they call home.”

“No matter where you travel or where you may be born, for me Kenya, Africa, was, is and will always be home,” he adds.

His arrival in Kenya led to the birth of a moved called ‘Back to Nature Movement’ whose aim is to encourage people to ditch junk and processed food to a more healthy lifestyle.

On his experience as a farmer in Kenya, Kunya says: “There is nothing more rewarding than getting your feet dirty, connecting to the soil, this soil is what gives us food. African soil is sacred soil and farming in Africa is a beautiful thing getting close to nature is something wonderful and when you can do it sustainably and profitably.”

What is his message to other Africans and Kenyans in the diaspora?

He says: “To those of African ancestry, we have an African civilization inheritance which has been disinherited from us. Part of claiming that heritage is repatriating mentally, psychologically eventually physically.” 

Here is a video of Kunga's interview; https://youtu.be/pSKWtgMvv5w