how to move to Kenya

hi Ryan,

What type of work are looking for or can you set up a business? its easier to set up a business if you cannot get work as jobs are scarce. i would advise you getting a job from a UK donor or NGOs with projects in Kenya.

To find out which British companies have a lot of interest in Kenya, check with the British Council, they will probably have the information and they also sometimes hire for special projects.

Hi Ryan,

I know exactly where you are coming from.  The jobs market in Kenya is very difficult to break into - competition is incredibly high, as there are many Kenyan graduates who are out of work.  Foreigners are (supposed to be) given work permits on the strength of their having skills for the post, which cannot be filled locally.

Many NGO's (Oxfam, World Vision etc) have regional offices in Nairobi.  Jobs are sometimes advertised on sites like 'Reliefweb' and sometimes in 'The Guardian'.  VSO is also worth a look. 

UK companies are represented in Kenya:  Orange, Standard Chartered and Barclays spring to mind.  There are also multinationals, such as Nestle, Deloitte and Price Waterhouse Coopers.

High Commissions/embassies also sometimes recruit.

Another way is to start your own business.  This is the route I have taken.  I got a Kenyan partner (my Wife), so that we can do some trade, legally and I act as the investor.  I still work in the UK, though, for several months a year, which is far from ideal, but at least I spend over half the year in Kenya and it has allowed us to build up a good asset base in Kenya.

One route that people often look at is purchasing property and renting it out, or purchasing safari vehicles and leasing them (we have a bus which is leased).

At the moment, to apply for a Class H work permit - which is for an investor, you need a $100 000 in cash at the bank, or (1 or 2) can't remember which, of audited accounts from the business in which you have invested.  You should also have a registered company and a PIN (Tax certificate).  On application, a statement about your business activities and how these benefit the Kenyan economy is submitted.

The law on immigration is about to be amended, in line with the new constitution and it is worth waiting for this, to see how it affects foreigners wanting to live in Kenya.

I now really appreciate the difficulties faced by being an immigrant!

Dear Longonot62

That was a great bit of advice.With reference to obtaining a Class H works visa,you have to have 100,000us dollors in the bank(£63k sterling) and without been able to prove my services are required above a kenyans,it would be wise to open a Ltd company,
For this you need 2 partners {can the both be English)?.
And can the 100,000 dollars be taken back out of the Country if things dont work out?

hi, consider setting up a company in kenya as it is not very easy getting a job here in kenya. you must know someone, who knows someone, who also knows everyone else. it is that tricky. feel free to get in touch so that i may assist u with incorporation of a company.