Kenyan expatriates repatriated Sh280 billion in 2018 back home, which is higher than the total remittances of the East African Diaspora combined, as per the World Bank report. The total remittances of the rest of East Africa were Sh242 billion, Sh38 billion lower than that of Kenya. The rest of East African countries include Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Ethiopia. The study was undertaken by Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development, a unit of World Bank and was released in April this year. Between 2017 and 2018, the Kenyans’ remittances grew by 39 percent. During the first five months of the calendar year 2019, remittances were pegged at Sh118.9 billion, registering a 3.8 per cent increase over the same period a year ago. Significantly, the growth in the first five months of the current fiscal was lower than the same period of 2018, when remittances shot by 51.8 percent. In absolute terms, the remittances during the period were Sh114.6 billion. The upward trend in remittances in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2016 was due to strong economic conditions in the high-income economies where many sub-Saharan African migrants earn their income.
Kenyan Diaspora’s contributions to the country’s economy, there is a complaint, is not properly recognized. According to statistics from Central Bank of Kenya, the Diaspora sent home through inter-bank transfers $209 million (Sh20.94 billion) and $245 million (Sh24.55 billion) in January 2018 and January 2019 respectively. If one takes into account remittances through MoneyGram, Wave, and Western Union are included in this category, remittances could be even higher. Interestingly, Diaspora remittances of Kenya surpass earnings from tea and coffee exports.
Diaspora complains that the treatment they get from the Kenyan administration is step-motherly unlike the red carpet treatment given to the expatriates in other African countries. Recently, Kenyans in Germany demonstrated against poor services they get from the embassy. Among Kenyan Diaspora, there is a good number of doctors, engineers and technology experts. Given proper encouragement and recognition, a good number of them are willing to relocate to Kenya. But Kenyan government, they say, is not willing to make use of their expertise. Instead, many Kenyans seek medical treatments in India, engage Chinese to build their roads and buildings and bring Cuban doctors to serve in their hospitals.
