Living and Working in Kenya

On a warm August morning, the arrival terminal at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport was abuzz with activity. A woman with a heavy Italian accent described to her mother the warm welcome she received and her exciting plans to explore the country during her one-year stay.

“Yes, yes, I remembered to take my malaria pills,” she reassured her worried mother on a phone call home. She had come to work on a rural agricultural project in Western Kenya on her first visit to the country.

Every year, Kenya welcomes hundreds of expatriates. Many of them work in the development field. Entering unfamiliar territory can be both exciting and intimidating.

Daniel Manitsky’s adventure began after a 15-hour flight from the East Coast of the United States to Kenya. Nairobi was much bigger than he had anticipated — the throngs of people and traffic maneuvering around high-rise buildings on their way to work recalled New York City. He came to work with the Ministry of Water on a project funded by the World Bank that took him from Nairobi's bustling city center to the Rift Valley province. There, he experienced first-hand the challenges of living in a rural area. Known for its flocks of pink flamingos, scenic landscape, and rich agricultural farms, the Rift Valley provide a contrast from Nairobi's urban environment.

Manitsky later became a consultant for the Connecticut-based Rapid Results Institute, and signed onto a project to support the Kenya National Food Fortification Alliance. Mobile phones have made his work and travels in Kenya much easier, he said.

Clive Davis, a business advocacy fund manager, has seen similar changes since he landed in Nairobi 15 years ago.

“There are no longer shortages of materials and imports; very few power cuts exist; mobile phones, the internet and e-mail are in use,” he said. “That makes an enormous difference because it was very isolated here in the beginning.”

From an economic view point, Kenya has been experiencing a mini-boom, and Davis sees every sign of continuing.

“The place has improved immeasurably, both politically and economically,” he explained. “There is much more freedom of expression and the governance situation has improved.”

Originally from Ireland, Davis advises expatriates to find a way to meet people, for instance through spectator or participant sports. Nairobi boasts several sports clubs that offer expatriats the opportunity to meet and exchange views on living and working abroad.

Those interested in working in Kenya may find opportunities with international organizations, humanitarian agencies, financial institutions, consultancies or private-sector companies. Most expatriates secure their job before entering Kenya.

“You do not get off a plane and start looking for a job, as is the case in the U.S. or Europe,” Davis advised. “You have to arrive here to go to a job that is prearranged.”

Stringent immigration and visa rules pose challenges for foreigners trying to secure work permits. The Kenyan government expects expatriates to train a Kenyan to take over their job within a period of time, which can be a disincentive for large-scale foreign employment in Kenya.

There are several advantages of having a local partner in Kenya, Manitsky said. The partner can facilitate logistics and offer advice and input that expatriates need to do their work, he explained.

“It takes a lot of effort to develop partnerships and trust, and thus an informal, but written memorandum of understanding is essential,” Manitsky said. Such a document can outline the bounds of a partnership, each party’s responsibilities, and mechanisms to address future employment.

Consultants may be hired through a governmental donor agency such as U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K.’s Department for International Development, or the Danish International Development Agency Danida. They may also be contracted by a non-governmental organization to work on specific projects for a specified timeline. Many others solicit work independently from the private and public sectors; recruiting agencies are hard to come by.

After completing her initial assignment, Barbara June Toye-Welsh found contacted consultancies she had encountered through her work with NGOs. Ironically, she did not find any consultancies in Kenya and the positions she was offered were in other countries. She received nine consultancy assignments, 12 invitations to participate on various proposals, 21 job interviews, and 15 job offers through Devex's recruiting site.

Another Nairobi-based consultant, Raymond Rumsey Jr., had a similar experience, and found an assignment in Liberia through the same recruiting site. Networking with professionals in one’s field is an essential component to securing assignments in Kenya.

As an education specialist, Toye-Welsh worked with different schools, the Ministry of Education, CARE, Save the Children, UNICEF, Research Triangle Institute and Creative Associates International Inc. The people she worked with were eager to share information, contacts and tips, she said. Additionally, a network of NGO staff met at a monthly meeting chaired by the USAID mission director.

“Project directors would come to the meeting, share updates of their project, the challenges, the lessons learned, and good things that were happening in the field,” Toye-Welsh said.

Perhaps the biggest challenge to finding work in Kenya is competition. Those not affiliated with a consultancy may find it difficult to secure an assignment with organizations – domestic or foreign – working in Kenya.

“There is a tremendous amount of work, but there is so much competition within the NGOs and among expats,” Toye-Welsh explained.

As a consultant, it is often easier to find work at headquarters in Washington, D.C., or elsewhere, according to Manitsky. Furthermore, literacy and skill levels among Kenyans are relatively high, prompting many organizations to hire nationals.

Those applying for work in Kenya or other parts of Africa should highlight their technical expertise, regional exposure or experience, and linguistic capabilities.

“These are the basic considerations that companies have in selecting their staff to work in any country,” said Rumsey, who has worked and lived in Kenya since 1999. The ability to speak English, French, Arabic and Portuguese are an added advantage in securing a position in Africa. As a finance and management specialist, Rumsey has worked in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, East Timor and Liberia.

Once a position is secured, a place to live must be found, local business practices and norms must be learned, and corruption and security issues must be dealt with.

“Kenyans are incredibly diplomatic and sometimes it may be difficult to decipher what they are saying because they try to avoid conflict,” Manitsky observed. 

The dress code is always formal, especially when meeting with government officials.

“You must wear a suit, with a jacket and tie for men. If you are planning to meet with government officials, build in a lot of flexibility into your work schedules. Set aside three days rather than two days to meet officials,” Manitsky advised.

What about corruption?

Toye-Welsh worked in Nigeria before moving to Kenya as chief of party with the Education Development Center, an NGO headquartered in Washington, D.C.

“I knew what corruption was and I knew how to deal with the ministries and organizations,” said Toye-Welsh.

Her experience in Kenya was quite similar to that in Nigeria.

“I experienced a lot of corruption, in terms of getting services," she said. "For example, in getting a landline telephone, we had to pay people on the side to get a number, then pay more people to run the line from the office to the pole, and finally a few more shillings to make the physical connection to the communication system. Otherwise we had to wait six months or more before it was done.”

Corruption is still an issue, Davis said, although less so than it was five or ten years ago.

Expatriates often choose to live in communities that offer similar living conditions to home. It may be difficult to socialize with Kenyans or get a feel for the local conditions in such surroundings.

“Kenya is the splashy place to live, with Lavington as one of the better neighborhoods,” said Toye-Welsh, who has since relocated to neighboring Tanzania on a different assignment. She said she always had electricity and water in LAvington, and she felt very safe.

“Kenya is one of the best places to be," she said. "The food is fresh, the people are wonderful and the weather is great!”

Security is often a factor for expatriates seeking accomodation since robberies, car-jackings or other crimes common in Nairobi and, to a lesser degree, the rest of the country. The U.S. embassy in Nairobi provides regular security updates and alerts to registered U.S. citizens living in Kenya, which is how Rumsey said he keeps updated.

“Crime does exist in Nairobi and there is social discord, as does it exist in Washington, D.C., New York and London,” Rumsey said. 

Manitsky said he has witnessed one robbery and two attempted car-jackings in Nairobi, but that would not stop him from going back.

“It changes your behavior,” he said, noting that expatriates should be aware of their surroundings, particularly as pedestrian.

Toye-Welsh's advice: pursue your passion with a vengeance.

“If someone wanted to get work in Kenya and they kept knocking on doors, eventually they would get work,” she said.