KenyaOnAShoeString: Real Advice for Real Kenyans

I am not a HR professional, but sitting in on interviews recently opened my eyes to truths about the Kenyan job market that nobody prepares you for. From experienced candidates struggling to negotiate, to graduates with shiny degrees being ignored, the gap between what we think matters and what actually matters is sobering. Here are 12 rarely spoken lessons I wish every job seeker in Kenya would internalize. 1. Years of Experience Don’t Equal Bargaining Power I watched candidates with over 10 years of work experience accept salaries barely higher than entry-level. In Kenya, longevity in a role does not guarantee leverage. Employers will pay only what the market allows, not what your CV claims. If your skills aren’t directly tied to revenue, cost-saving, or a rare technical expertise, years alone won’t buy you influence. 2. Not All Abroad Experience is Equal We assume that working abroad gives you prestige back home. But I saw returnees from the Middle East who had spent years th...

In Kenya , we were taught to believe that experience is gold. That if you worked long enough, if you collected enough years, your value would automatically rise. That the job market would respect you for the battles you have fought, the places you have served, the mistakes you have endured. But last week, I sat in interviews that shook that belief to its core. Men and women with 5, 8, even 10 years of experience walked in, clutching their resumes with pride, only to accept salaries that would barely pay their children’s school fees . People who had returned from abroad, with exposure and networks, nodding quietly as they were offered wages not too far from what a fresh graduate could expect. It wasn’t just one or two candidates. It was a pattern. Experience Is Not Currency Here We love to tell young people, “get experience first, then the money will come.” But what happens when the money doesn’t come? What happens when you realize that in the Kenyan market — especially in certain...

Imagine this: every minute you spend scrolling through Facebook , watching videos on YouTube , or chatting on WhatsApp came with a price tag — a real cash charge deducted from your wallet. Would you still spend hours online? Would you pay KES 666 for just one hour of TikTok videos? Or KES 2,000 for a day of Facebook scrolling? The Hidden Price of "Free" Content Let’s break it down with some numbers. Suppose you earn KES 80,000 a month. You work about 8 hours a day, but after meals and breaks, your effective work time is 6 hours daily, Monday to Friday. That totals roughly 120 working hours per month. Dividing your monthly salary by your work hours gives you an hourly wage of approximately: KES 80,000 ÷ 120 hours = KES 666 per hour. Now, here’s the shocking part: what if you had to pay yourself KES 666 for every hour you spend on social media? Spending just 3 hours a day would earn you almost KES 2,000 daily . Over 20 working days, that’s a staggering KES 4...

For many Kenyans, the dream home is clear: a spacious bungalow or maisonette with a large homestead, flowering gardens, and all the trappings of success. This vision of a mansion has been the symbol of achievement, stability, and social status for generations. But how did this dream become so deeply ingrained? And does it still make sense in today’s rapidly changing world? The History of the Coveted Dream House The bungalow and maisonette styles rose to prominence during colonial and post-independence Kenya, inspired by Western architectural trends. These homes symbolized modernity, permanence, and upward mobility. Owning such a home became a milestone—a visible sign that you had “made it.” Through the decades, large plots in leafy neighborhoods with expansive interiors and manicured gardens became the gold standard of Kenyan homeownership. The Realities of Owning, Building, and Living in a Mansion However, beneath this dream lies a less discussed reality: the true cost of ownin...

“It’s not a bargain if you don’t need it.” This phrase has quietly become my compass whenever a flashy deal or discount catches my eye. It’s simple, but powerful. And in a world that constantly pushes us to buy more, grab every offer, and never miss a sale, it’s the question we all need to ask ourselves. Walk into any Kenyan supermarket like Quickmart or Naivas on discount day, and you’ll see a battlefield of bargains. Buy-one-get-one-free offers, 50% discounts, and flash sales everywhere. Chicken Inn and Pizza Inn tempt you with their famous “ Wacky Wednesday ” deals — two meals for the price of one or ridiculously low prices on combos that almost feel too good to be true. But are they really bargains? Or just clever traps? Take a moment and think: How often do you finish both pizzas from that deal, especially if you’re eating alone? How many times have you bought plastic gadgets or trinkets from shops like Miniso or China Square because they were “cheap,” only to realize la...

Kenyans are known for their warmth, charm, and ability to make friends anywhere. But once we share a space, it’s like the social contract gets torn up and tossed in the bin. Whether it’s in the matatu , the office, or right in our own homes, here are the everyday crimes we’ve all seen — and maybe even committed. 1. The Loud Music DJ Why keep your music to yourself when you can share it with the whole neighborhood? These are the people who think a matatu, estate courtyard, or office is their personal club. Bonus points if the speaker is cheap and adds that fuzzy shhhhhh sound in the background. And if it’s early morning gospel before coffee? That’s a direct attack. 2. The TikTok & Reels Without Earphones Crew It’s never just one video. It’s a marathon of TikTok's , Instagram Reels , and WhatsApp statuses — all on full volume. And of course, they’ll stop midway, shove the phone in your face, and say: “Angalia hii! Hii itakufurahisha.” Now you’ve lost three minutes of your...

You are not as scattered as you think. You are living in a world that is deliberately designed to fracture your focus. From the moment you wake up to the moment you sleep, someone—or something—is trying to steal your attention. It’s not just on your phone. It’s in your workplace, your routines, even your efforts to rest or heal. This is not about personal failure. It’s about engineered distraction —systems built to keep us overstimulated, disconnected, and always wanting more. Let’s take a closer look at how this happens across different aspects of modern life—and what it really costs us. 1. The Internet: Where Attention Becomes Currency We often think of distraction online as a weakness—our fault for clicking too much, scrolling too long. But online spaces are designed to hijack your focus. The Architecture of Distraction Infinite scroll wasn’t invented for convenience—it was created to remove natural stopping points. Auto-play forces your hand before your brain has time...

You wake up and there’s no water. Electricity was rationed again last night. You’re juggling unpaid bills, a stagnant salary (if any), and the quiet hum of anxiety that never quite goes away. But still, you’re expected to say, “At least I’m alive. God is good.” In Kenya , we’re taught from a young age to be thankful for the bare minimum: the ability to breathe, the chance to wake up, a job that barely pays, or the fact that we’re not in a war zone. Gratitude, in its pure form, is beautiful. But over time, it can also be manipulated into something exhausting—something that keeps us compliant instead of empowered. When Gratitude Becomes a Muzzle Gratitude should lift us up. But in many Kenyan households , workplaces, churches , and schools , it's used to shut us down. We’re told not to complain because “others have it worse.” We’re shamed for being frustrated, told we’re ungrateful, or reminded that we should just be happy to be alive. This kind of gratitude becomes a way of num...