Frances in Nairobi: "It's an extremely exciting place to live at the moment with a tech boom"

Hi Frances, can you introduce yourself quickly and tell us about your projects in Kenya?

Hi, I am a freelance writer who lives and works in Nairobi. I am not your typical serial expat, as I have been based in East Africa for the past 17 years.

Why did you choose to live in Kenya?

My husband had grown up in Kenya and whilst we met in London, he was always hankering to go back to East Africa. By coincidence, he was offered a job in Tanzania while we were engaged and we ended up moving to Dar es Salaam right after our wedding. After four years there, we got the chance to relocated to Nairobi, Kenya which offered a bigger market and more scope for my husband's career. By this stage, we had 2 kids and I was happy to escape the coastal heat!

Before leaving England, what were the procedures to live in Kenya?

Leaving England was a big rush for us all of those years ago, since we were organizing our wedding, our honeymoon, buying a small UK property, wrapping up jobs, packing up etc. Making sure that you get the right vaccinations is important. Working visas take a long time to organize and it's best to get on with that process as soon as you are in country if not before (we arrived on a 3 month visa). The rules are similar in Kenya and Tanzania. It's necessary to show original university certificates, proof of professional qualifications, wedding certificate etc. While I lived in Tanzania, I was a dependent on my husband's working visa.

How were your first steps in the country? Was it easy to find accomodations ?

Fortunately my husband's business organized accommodation for us. At first we lived in a very small duplex, then moved to a self contained house a few months later. There are lots of real estate professionals who can help with finding a house, so it's fairly straight forward, however, you do have to ask questions such as; mains water or bore hole water supply, is the electricity supply reliable and also find out what security arrangements are in place (ie is there an electric fence, intruder alarm, nightwatchman) etc.

Was it easy for you to integrate kenyan society?

Having kids at schools locally helped us integrate quickly. We are lucky in Kenya to have a lot of very high quality British Curriculum primary schools with a mix of Kenyan, Kenyan Asian and expat kids but these schools do come at a hefty price. I learned Swahili as soon as I arrived in Tanzania, and that has helped enormously throughout my time in East Africa. Most people in Kenya speak very good English but if you chat a bit in Swahili, it can definitely open more doors.

How would you describe kenyan culture compared to english culture? I suppose that this is completely different, right?

In fact the culture is not so different. There is definitely a British influence in Kenya (being a former colony). First of all, spoken English is excellent and the Kenyan sense of humour is great. In fact, all foreigners receive an extremely warm welcome here.
What is different is that there is no effective system of social security in Kenya, so when families experience difficulty in paying school fees, medical bills or funeral costs, then relatives and communities are expected to chip in and give money. As an outsider, you will be frequently asked to do the same for families that you come into contact with, be it work colleagues, domestic workers, your friendly taxi driver etc. It's up to the individual to decide how much to give.

Is life expensive in Kenya?

Yes, life is pretty expensive. We don't have to pay to heat our homes but paying private security companies to provide night guards is a large cost (Kenyan families do this too – it's not exclusive to expats). Electricity is expensive. Your grocery bill is also higher (as many products are imported) and we also drink bottled water which is costly. Most middle class homes (both Kenyan and expat) employ domestic staff for help with cleaning/caretaking.

Is it easy to travel around Kenya? Which part/country did you see?

It is relatively easy to travel around Kenya but this entirely depends on you having your own private vehicle. Public transport is limited to urban and cross country buses which are often not very well maintained. More traditional mainstream lodges, hotels and high end safari camps etc are extremely expensive, so it's worth exploring self catering and camping options. We personally love to visit the Kenyan coast/Indian Ocean. There is so much to do, snorkeling, swimming, diving etc and the whole family love it. I am not a very enthusiastic camper, so we tend not to do wildlife safaris so often – but we have stayed in some great self catering places and have treated ourselves to the odd lodge or safari hotel.

Any advice for a soon-to-be expatriate in Kenya?

Get the right vaccinations. An illness like Typhoid or Hepatitis is real (often transmitted through food) and is the last thing that you need. Keep an open mind. Be friendly. Don't try to ‘fix' what you might perceive to be problems in society here because there are many; poverty, corruption, poor education etc. Just observe and take opportunities as they come along. Seek advice from others who have been here a long time about what is safe and what is not and get your paper work in order (driving license, health and household insurance, working visas etc). Also, find out about where your most reliable doctor/clinic/hospital is related to where you live. This is all quite a task as information is not always readily available but you don't want to get caught out.
Kenya is developing at a very rapid rate. It's an extremely exciting place to live at the moment with a tech boom, improvements in infrastructure, a fast growing middle class etc. The night life can be very vibrant and it's a young society.