Several Kenyans who went to the US on student and visitor’s visas have failed return to the country when they expire.
A majority of Kenyans visit their families back home but after several years while others are forced to return only when death strikes a close relative, with some choosing to skip the burial.
Some Kenyans who move to the United States cut links with their families as well as friends in Kenya and their lives in the “land of opportunities” remain a mystery to many.
Most of these Kenyans move to the US on a green card and only come home if there’s a serious matter like the burial ceremonies of very close relatives.The relatives back in Kenya don’t even know what their kin does or lives in the US since they usually give scanty disclosures.They have gone silent on their families after relocating to America.
Many Kenyans have left for the US. How they go and what they do is not known. And with the nature of today’s life where people do not want to be bothered, it becomes difficult to ask questions and most of them have gone silent to their families.
Although a 2018 report by Bloomberg shows there are at least 120,000 Kenyans who live and work in the US.
Kenyan immigrants choose to remain in the US even when they could have led better lives back home.
There are those who have tried to find either meaningful employment or a viable business in Kenya before they can relocate. Both are difficult to come by for various reasons.
Academic standards are superior in the US and schools are well-funded and more reliable compared Kenya. This is believed to be one of the reasons why Kenyans who move to the US choose not to return home.In regard to employment, Kenya is experiencing a high unemployment rate and so to land a job with similar benefits as is the case in the US is difficult.
Those who have tried to start a business in Kenya end up losing large sums of money because of lack of honesty among their relatives. Nobody wants to relocate until they have an ongoing income-generating venture back home.
Kenyans, especially women, enjoy expanded social and economic freedom abundant in the US and, therefore, find no incentive to return to Kenya.Weak law enforcement agencies also make Kenyan immigrants reluctant to return home.
There are many students from Kenya whose parents forced them to America on the false hope that it’s a land of abundant opportunities.What they don’t appreciate is that when you come on a student visa, you risk deportation if you’re caught doing any job.
Others have found themselves in trouble with authorities for engaging in criminal activities.
Kenyans living in one of the states there held a meeting to explore ways of salvaging their badly damaged image.This came after increased cases of Kenyans being imprisoned over involvement in criminal activities including rape and wife-battering.
Let’s hope this Kenyans in the US miss their culture back here and hope they visit more often