Making provisions to move to Nairobi, Kenya

Hi Alex,
First i wish you and your partner good luck with all your relocation plans. If you are looking for a serene and secure home environment then i am the person to talk to. I have a two bedroom guest wing fully furnished in the suburb Karen area, you can see photos and details under my listing cacahomez. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need further info. Cheers!

cacahomez wrote:

Hi Alex,
First i wish you and your partner good luck with all your relocation plans. If you are looking for a serene and secure home environment then i am the person to talk to. I have a two bedroom guest wing fully furnished in the suburb Karen area, you can see photos and details under my listing cacahomez. Do not hesitate to contact me if you need further info. Cheers!

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AlexRichards wrote:

My name is Alex Richards, I am a French national but also speak English, Spanish, German and Creole. I have been working in the field of foreign affairs and international relations since 1984.
I presently live on the island of Saint-Martin, in the Caribbean where I work as Director General of European Affairs and Regional Cooperation and advisor to the President of the Island Community of Saint-Martin. I also lecture at the University of Saint-Martin and have been lecturing in university since 2003. The subjects I lecture in are Caribbean Studies and World Civilizations.
My project and reason for moving is because my partner who is from Kenya, has been offered a job in Nairobi. She is considering moving and I would like to accompany her on this venture. This being said, nothing is yet sealed and so I am also looking for a job to help sustain ourselves and meet housing and other obligations while being in Nairobi.
We will also be looking for an accomodation and to be honest, have no idea how to go about this. Any assistance you could provide me with would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any support you can and will provide.
Best regards,

Alex Richards

Hi and welcome to the forum.

For accommodation please read through the ads in the housing section at the top of this page.

For work I suggest that you go online and check out UN jobs or any NGO's who would perhaps be interested in someone like you.
You could also try Universities and government departments as well.

Hello Alex,

I would have thought that your skills should be quite marketable here in Kenya.  I would recommend that you commence looking for work as soon as possible, as you must apply for a work permit in order to work legally here.  Many expats move to Kenya on the strength of having been offered a job here - the work permit application is then made by your employer.  The process usually takes several months, so that by the time you arrive the notification of approval would be issued (which is valid for 3 months) and then it is just a case of getting the permit, registering with Immigration and starting work (as a basic overview).

Moving here first, then looking for work could be more challenging and time consuming.  The jobs market here is very competitive, due to the number of graduates who are out of work.  In the absence of a work permit, or other type of pass, you would be here on a Single Entry Visa, which entitles you to remain in country for a maximum of 6 months, after which you must leave Kenya and the East African Community, then return in order to renew your visa.

Are you married?  The reason I ask is that, with your partner working, you may be eligible to apply for a Dependent Pass, which would enable you to live in Kenya, whether you have a job or not.  To be able to apply, you must be married and your partners salary should be enough to sustain you both.

The links below give more information.

http://www.immigration.go.ke/Information.htmlhttp://fathershandltd.com/#

Hello Alex. It seems we both might be newbies in Kenya. Let's keep in touch.

Thanks much for this extensive and detailed piece of information. I will try and proceed as you suggested but for the fact that I have no company offering me work here and that would then do the necessary request for my legal residency and issuing of a work permit.
I must admit that from here it seems complicated but I will not give up.
I am not married, but my life partner is from Kenya and she has moved back to Kenya two weeks ago because she has found work there. I am not sure whether that would work in order to facilitate my obtaining of papers allowing me to work here.

Hello,

From the best of my knowledge, having a Kenyan life partner is not going to assist you to obtain a work permit.  As I previously stated, the fact that you are not married will count against you in terms of a Dependents Pass.  Over time, the options of Permanent Residency and Citizenship are easier if you are married, too.

The system is supposed to be set up to benefit Kenyans, so work permits are issued for those jobs where there are skills shortages here. 

You can, of course look for work once you are here, but many jobs are advertised for Kenyans. Not only is the pay low, by Western standards, the employer will not support a work permit application (I have experienced this). The other reason it is better to secure employment before arrival is that the work permit (or any other permit) is likely to take 3 months, or more to process. The chances are high that your single entry visa will expire first and you will have to leave Kenya (and the East African Community) in order to renew.

My experience is that for several years, I have been here on a single entry visa, leaving the country every 3 to 6 months and doing agency work in the UK to cover costs. My profession is not in demand here.

I must say thanks for the information you keep providing me with. It does shed a whole lot of light on my situation. I keep hoping for the best and staying positive about it all while making sure I adhere to your advise and do what's best for me. But this move means the world to me at this point. There's no turning back.
Thanks again for your words and willingly sharing your experience with me.
Best regards,
Alex Richards