@Mike Ock,

The average poorest working person in the US lives a lifestyle of a Kenyan in old Buruburu or so. You won't find slums made of cardboard like in Kibera, or kadogo economy which subsidizes the cost of living for the poor. I agree that minimum wage of 100k per month in Kenya will take you further than in an mid-size US city, but not by much ie assuming a lifestyle of a family living in Buruburu. That is my point! If you're willing to live in slum areas then there's almost no limit to the depths of poor living you can get away with in Kenya. But is that the goal? To see how much undignified poverty one can get away with in the name of cheap living?

Assuming the lowest we go down to is a Buruburu type middle class lifestlye.. Average rent is at least 25-30K. Add transport, food, clothes, school fees/supplies, medical. That 100K isn't so grand after all, is it?

Our Kenyan govt has been a total failure despite the citizenry being extremely hardworking and ambitious. KCPE results just came out and all these top performers were celebrating with their teachers and parents. They talked about how hard they studied, how they prayed etc etc. It brought back memories when I was in their shoes and later on in high school. How we would soak our legs in a basin of cold water to avoid sleeping while studying. And for what?!

How many of my former classmates are still stuck in low paying jobs, hustling or worse unemployed? We tell our kenyan kids to work hard in school, but for what? Yes, I don't disagree that literacy is important. I'm talking about the extra mile we had to go: the extra tuition, the late night or all night cramming. The good thing about America is that the harder you work the more the rewards. There's a direct correlation between the two. For example, a typical nurse makes about $35 per hour. If they do overtime, it's time and a half, so $53 per hour. If you're a nursing assistant the pay is $12 per hour etc etc. Hence, an American nurse is paid well enough to live in a beautiful house, take their kids to good schools and be able to save/invest for the future. It makes sense to study hard in school because the benefits for those who do are clear. Back at home, our nurses and doctors in public sector lead miserable lifestyles despite the substantial effort they put in their studies. Why is higher education in Kenya still considered a good investment, which it isn't?!

Kenyans deserve much better for all the effort they put in. Unfortunately, that rarely happens.

I agree, even in business, man you put so much effort for so little reward. The market as a whole is just screwed up. I currently have a Kenyan business, I poured my heart and soul into it for years, and at the end of the day it makes a measly 7m Kshs. per year profit. For my next business navuka border.

Depends on the capital you inject, like the maize millers a major one makes 200,000/- profit for every 5 million injected, too low if you ask me

I just moved to the US and let me tell you,i am biting myself why i didnt come here earlier,surely people have been hacking this good life while i am kulaing traffic in Nairobi???people who say they better stay in Kenya say that because they have NOT LIVED in the US and all they hear is hearsay from people.
Let me tell you,if you come the right way and your paperwork is legal,the sky is the limit,if you come kichorochoro you will regret,hapa no kitu kidogo,you break laws you serve time.Kuja the right way,dont pick n choose jobs,do what you can,do at least two jobs,for example,doing customer service at $11 an hr(Kes per hr 1100) and then doing evening shift at a hotel for another $12 an hrs will give you roughly $2700 per month,if you add extra hrs that's around $3000,that's almost 300k kes,for someone who just arrived doing entry level jobs,toa house rent(water n garbage)700(people paying 70k kes in Kenyan are livig in Kleleshwa)electricity 100(at most),car n gas(Kenyans we say mafuta)300pm,shopping 400 pm ,health insurance hmo 350 Total=$1850,i am saving over $1k(that is around 100k kes)in savings which if i decide to send home hata 70k,i am still set,driving comfortable car,staying in a beautiful house,being able to go to hospital if sick,eating comfortably,come on,entry level in Kenya is being paid $35k,kungangana na matatu.If you can kuja huku,work hard,invest in Kenya.it really doesn't earn you much so its better you invest in US but home is home,so set it up comfortable in case trump gets in office and decides to put all Kenyans in a plane,lol,all in all,wacheni kudanganywa eti people suffer overseas,those who do,something is off,cz this short time i have been here i have met practicing lawyers and doctors who are Kenyans,hata mayors,so those sleeping on the street must be bad luck.God knows our journeys,do not be discouraged with other peoples bad stories,come live better and earn more,you know,dignified life.