Currently there are approximately 55,000 Kenyans in Dubai. Most of them went to look for greener pastures. The most frequent question among Kenyans is how much those who go to the Asian country earn?Well,I have been to Dubai a couple of times, interacted with a number of Kenyans living there and wondered what the hell are they doing in that foreign country.
The first impression you get when you hear someone is in Dubai is that they earn millions of money and are living in posh estates. The fact of the matter is, they are as broke as Kenyans living in slums. The few Kenyans I have visited in Dubai live in cubicles.Yaani, they live like university students in hostels. This is not because they chose to but due to the fact that their salary is meager. One guy who works at a manufacturing company earns Ksh 60,000.Another person who works at a port earns Ksh 85,000.There is one who works as a construction worker and earns Ksh75,000 per month.
In Dubai, the cost of goods and services is beyond the common man.Rent alone takes between Ksh 20,000 and Ksh 50,000 per month. Since most Kenyans don’t afford the rent, they opt to rent a room as a group, mostly a group of 4.
It’s not necessarily true that salaries in Dubai are low, but the fact of the matter is those Kenyans who scramble for opportunities are academic dwarfs; they scored D and E and the Kenyan system couldn’t accommodate them. In Dubai, locals are given first priority and since Kenyans are not leaned, they take up the lowest paying jobs.
I think you have seen some Kenyans bragging that they are in Dubai but when they come to visit, you realize that they are more broke than us.In fact,they get broke the first week they land in our country. These people are suffering in Dubai but since they don’t want to be a laughing stock, they fake a lifestyle.
In short, a Kenyan working at a Mjengo where he is paid Ksh 1,000 per day is better than one who is in Dubai.
