How Jacky Achieng Is Helping Kenyan Women Navigate Life in Germany

Jacklyne “Jacky” Achieng Kuhn founded Kenyan Women in Germany (KWIG) to support Kenyan women navigating life, work and integration in Germany.

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees estimates that about 15,000 Kenyans are registered as residents in the country. Many are women who have joined the healthcare sector to help address labour shortages.

Kuhn, a nurse who moved to Germany during the early years of this migration wave, recognised the difficulties faced by many newcomers. Unfamiliar bureaucratic systems, language barriers and cultural differences often left women isolated as they adjusted to their new environment.

She established KWIG as a legally registered non-profit organisation. It has since grown from a small support group into a nationwide network focused on integration, advocacy and empowerment.

Under Kuhn’s leadership, KWIG provides a platform where Kenyan women can connect, share experiences and support one another. What began as informal gatherings has developed into a structured network operating across several German states.

The organisation works with municipal authorities, institutional partners and diplomatic channels to support Kenyan professionals as they settle and participate in German society. Its programmes include masterclasses on registering and running businesses under German law, as well as digital skills training. 

KWIG also supports economic links with Kenya by helping create investment opportunities through diaspora capital in real estate and development projects. Kuhn’s work also addresses the risks faced by migrant women outside the workplace, including domestic abuse.

Women who experience abuse can face additional difficulties because of legal dependencies, language barriers and limited knowledge of Germany’s protection and support systems. KWIG has established confidential peer-support groups, safe spaces for women to disclose abuse, counselling services and guidance on accessing legal protection in Germany.

The organisation’s approach recognises that professional and economic progress can be difficult to sustain when women are not safe at home. Some women experience abuse from German partners, while others face violence from Kenyan partners living abroad. Cultural differences, isolation and financial pressures can further complicate these situations.

KWIG seeks to provide women facing such circumstances with support and information so they can access appropriate services and protection. Kuhn’s work has expanded KWIG from a social support network into an organisation addressing both professional integration and social protection.

Through KWIG, Kuhn has helped create a network in which Kenyan women can build professional connections, seek assistance and maintain links with Kenya while establishing lives in Germany.