Exactly my friend! The salary figures certainly don't tally with the lifestyles we see in Kenya. Why? The numbers don't lie. If 250 k is alot of money, will be waiting to see your budget for a family of 4. Unless the middle class is living high on the hog on debts. Now that would be interesting!

That aside, we need LIFESTYLE AUDITS especially govt employees to capture the effect of corruption in the form of bribery and kickbacks. It's the same way unaskia secretary earning 15k per month has a house in Kile, a car, weave ya 30k kwa kichwa, designer bags and shoes, vacations to Dubai... You're left scratching your head as to how she's able to live that high life. What you don't know is the number of sponsors available to finance her lifestlye. Vile vile...with most so called middle class employees. You wonder how the ka miserable 70 k salary is paying for amenities that based on the budgets drawn up here is simply impossible. Of course, not considering Kanyari's multiplier effect, jk. Numbers don't lie!! When you hear billions upon billions being squandered and looted, that money has a real effect on the ground.

Houses are being sold 10M and above in Nairobi's 'suburbs' the Rongais, Ngongs, Juja, Thika, Kitengela, Isinya et al and apparently real estate is now where the money is. Who are buying these houses and where are they getting the money from?

Long time lurker, but first time poster. This is the best Kenyan forum have ever seen.

I have been in ‘majuu’ for around ten years, so I guess that qualifies me to add some 2 cents for perspective and balance. First, grew up in the village, went to Kenyan public uni for commerce degree, lived in Kibera/Mukuru, got a kajob, saved till had a million and left on a student visa. My first salary was 35k, and used to save about 20k. Used to teach part time. I was so broke when I left Kenya – money spent on fees/student visa but luckily had some one to host me.

I was clear on why I left – I didn’t see much opportunity (I think there are many young Kenyans who have a B. Comm and CPA and can’t get a job.), no capital, and just had this big dream that I will be successful. I hated poverty – and having gone through hardship growing up.

Ten years down the line, it is the best decision I have ever taken, completed studies, now citizen, went back to Kenya to get a wife. My wife and I live what a typical western middle class family lives, we have a house (on mortgage), earnings within highest 5% - 10% of the population, work 8 – 5 jobs and now started to think about where to retire.

Has it been easy? Hell no. Did the odd jobs – some times working 20 hours. Cried a few times – you do not adjust from an office job to selling cigarettes in a convenience store overnight or working as a cleaner. It has been a process of rediscovering, retraining (had to study again for an MBA, accounting qualification and CFA), and started from the bottom (Drakes song, started from the bottom has been the story of my life). It has been years of building networks – and having been a hustler all my life, this has helped. I work in middle management of a global corporation (not junior, and not too senior).

I have never joined this bandwagon that I am going back to Kenya (or for that matter, you must come to majuu to be successful). If you are lazy in Kenya, you are not going to just become an amazing hard worker by living in a different country. If you live an average life abroad, just doing the rat race, you are not going to become an amazing business man in Kenya. That perspective is important. I have seen people sell houses and go to Kenya – only to come back again. I have also seen people execute good plans and go back successful – but very few.

So people need to be careful, I think Kenya is a very competitive place to do business (if it was that easy – so many Kenyans would do it). If you are comfortable in Kenya, stay there. If you have a clear plan on what you want to achieve abroad – then leave, but understand it will take years. I have hosted and mentored a few Kenyans, ironically, many from parts of Nairobi we would never have crossed paths if I was in Kenya (have only ever been to Muthaiga to visit parents of a student I hosted, many years after have been here).

One can be a junior clerk at the lands office earning a net of 30k, but everyday he "assists" 20 people with 'land searches' @ 1k, that's 20k per day or 400k every month 920 working days). Thus his total net income is 430k, and he can afford the upper middle class lifestyle mentioned above, or own several flats huko rongai. Remember some junior cops who sued the IG after they were transferred from Mariakani weighbridge?

Houses are being sold 10M and above in Nairobi's 'suburbs' the Rongais, Ngongs, Juja, Thika, Kitengela, Isinya et al and apparently real estate is now where the money is. Who are buying these houses and where are they getting the money from?

Maybe Wazuans living in diaspora understand better when expressed in $$s. These expenses reflect a lifestyle and income many in diaspora cannot afford. What proportion of Diaspora's earn a net of $84,000 per year ($7000 x 12)?

Maybe Wazuans living in diaspora understand better when expressed in $$s. These expenses reflect a lifestyle and income many in diaspora cannot afford. What proportion of Diaspora's earn a net of $84,000 per year ($7000 x 12)?

The upscale houses are mostly being sold to wakoras to launder their cash. Politicians, tenderpreneurs, drug dealers, con men, arms dealers, human traffickers, pirates, wanakuanga wengi. As for mshaharas that can afford such, mostly business owners, C-Level guys and guys working for multinationals. Also note that government and bank workers are given fair mortgage rates of less than 10%, so they also qualify to be buying these houses we see around.

I think the question should be ask like this.

- what's the estimated salary for a 35-45 year old Safaricom Finance, Accounting, ICT manager?

I believe a manager at a company like Safaricom will be considered by a lot of terms to be making what would be equivalent to a good salary in Kenya. Everything else I see on top is just people's budgets

My total expenses for my 3 weeks annual visit to Kenya is between ksh400k-ksh500k. I spend more money in Kenya than in USA. I wonder how Kenyans actually make it.

I once walked into a Hotel in Kisumu only to be told that the price is Ksh 40k per night, a comparable hotel in USA would have been somewhere between 15k-20k. Sumsang tablet that cost 18k in USA cost 39k in Nairobi