Safari and tours to Kenya and East Africa. How ordinary people live in Kenya Life in Kenya for a Russian person

While most downshifting followers are trying to escape civilization in Bali and Thailand, there are daredevils who leave for even more exotic countries. The Buro 24/7 editors learned the stories of people who were the first to "blaze" the trail through the jungle, savannah and desert in search of the ideal life

According to the statistics department, 186 thousand 382 people left Russia last year. Most emigrants choose the USA or Europe for a new life. The rest go to Bali, Goa, Thailand and Cambodia. But there are daredevils who decide to move to a very distant and incomprehensible country for the Russian soul - for example, to Belize or Kenya. The editor of Buro 24/7 spoke with five heroes who have left for the most exotic places on the planet to find out how they live on the other side of the Earth.

Alevtina Makarova (Zimbabwe)

About moving

I moved to Zimbabwe with my husband: he was sent here to work. As they say, with a sweetheart paradise and in a hut, so she left her beloved work, packed up and went after him.

We live in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. This is a completely civilized city, though a little different from what I'm used to. There are only four bars, if you can call these establishments that way, two pubs and one nightclub. But chic cinemas, surpassing even Moscow ones in terms of comfort.

There was no special preparation for the move, we got two vaccinations - against hepatitis and yellow fever. If the first is obligatory in Russia, then the second is not known even in Zimbabwe itself. This disease has not been there for a long time.

About expectations

When they announced to us that we would live in Zimbabwe, we knew only one thing about this country: the beautiful Victoria Falls is located here. Even at first, they naively believed that we would wake up every morning with a picturesque view of him from the window. This, you guessed it, did not happen. All my friends and relatives, and I, to be honest, were sure that flocks of wild monkeys, lions and other delights of wild nature would be waiting for me and my husband on the streets. As it turned out, it is impossible to meet animals in the city, but at home I have already killed the sixth scorpion this year. Plus a huge number of spiders: in general, I have a pronounced arachnophobia, so at first I screamed every time I saw these insects. But now I calmly crush even black widows.

When we left, my grandmother saw me off at the airport; she cried because she was sure that a lion would eat me, an elephant would trample me, or a boa constrictor would swallow me. Now, after all the photos and beauty seen on Skype, Zimbabwe is on her list of the most desirable countries.

About life in a new place

When you fly from Moscow, you make one change in the United Arab Emirates, so you get to Harare already after dark. Usually, the first impression on new arrivals is the shock of the complete lack of lighting on the streets. Lanterns don't exist here at all. During the day, however, everything looks different: good-natured residents, cinemas, shopping streets and even skyscrapers.

I remember the most vivid impression of the first week as it is now. Being spoiled for life in a big city, I couldn't understand how it might be impossible to have a cup of coffee or buy a carton of milk at six in the evening. Why are shops and cafes not open every day and why does one need to drive half the city for a bottle of sunflower oil? It still surprises me that local businessmen do not care about profit so much that they consider it possible not to open stores on the most popular days - Saturday and Sunday. Over time, I was able to find the correct answer: Africans simply "do not sweat" and are lazy - it is in their blood.

As for the population, the people here are very kind, friendly and responsive and, most surprisingly, for the most part well educated.

About difficulties

The hardest part was getting used to the fact that everything and everyone here is very slow. If you go to a restaurant, then food is brought in only an hour later, to get a manicure - also an hour. Change the oil in the car - it will take a day. And if something breaks down, the car will be in service for at least a week. Even emergency services react very slowly: calling a plumber on the same day is unrealistic. And no one cares that you will sit without water for a day.

They also "like" to turn off the electricity here. Sometimes for several hours, and sometimes for the whole day. We, however, have a generator for such cases, but it does not always help.

For a very long time I could not believe that it could be winter in Africa. And it is, and it is very tangible, especially in stone houses without centralized heating, to which we are all accustomed. So when the electricity goes out in July (it's winter in the opposite hemisphere), you have to wear two sweaters and ugg boots at home. It's hard to get used to.

By the way, returning to the topic of wild animals: in the city of Victoria Falls, for example, African warthogs walk the streets, as in the cartoon "Timon and Pumbaa". They are very cute to look at, but they can hurt with their fangs. Dubious pleasure.

It is also very difficult for me here without cultural life: there are no conservatories with classical music, no theaters with ballet and opera, no exhibition halls with world expositions. Sometimes English stars like Brian Adams or James Blunt drop in, but this is extremely rare. Movies like Nymphomaniac or Dallas Buyers' Club had to be forgotten in theaters too. The local community is not yet ready for this.

Stanislava Reizin and Alexander Bernstein (Kenya)

About moving

We left the country a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Before settling in Kenya, my husband and I tried life in Israel and America. They lived in each of these countries for a long time and even managed to become citizens. If we left the Land of Soviets in search of a good life, then we moved to Kenya for the sake of an "interesting" life. The result is a perfect combination of both.

In 2005, when we were still living in the USA, the idea came to go on a trip around the world for six months. True, we got so carried away that after nine months we were still traveling across the neighboring continent - South America. As a result, our journey dragged on for several years. We spent the last two years (out of six) on the Black Continent. During this time, they traveled to 20 African countries and even wrote their own guide - "Wild Africa", thanks to which they gained some fame. By the time we got to the eastern part of the continent, there was a desire to stop. By mutual agreement, Kenya was chosen for the future life. We have never regretted this for all the time.

About life in a new place

In any case, we wanted to live not in the middle of the savanna, but in civilization. At first glance, the most logical choice seemed to be the capital, Nairobi. But by that time we had already managed to travel around the country and study what is here and how. In the end, they decided to choose the northern coast - a village called Mombasa.

At first it was quite difficult. We knew nothing: where to buy fruit, who to hire to help with the household. And there was no one to prompt, we had to find out everything ourselves.

Some difficulties arose with housing. First we rented a hotel room, then we moved to an apartment, which is important - not far from a supermarket. A little later we settled in a small villa with a swimming pool and close to the ocean. Mombasa turned out to be quite a comfortable and friendly place to live.

About work

Even before moving to Kenya, we received offers to become private guides, so we immediately decided that our work here would be related to tourism. We started with diving. Received a PADI instructor certificate and combined scuba diving with diving in African life and bureaucracy. Soon they decided to open their own business. Initially, we were only engaged in organizing safari, later we realized that other services would also be popular: outdoor weddings, business support and the organization of various filming. Until now, our favorite thing is safari. By the way, here it is much better than in neighboring countries - both in terms of logistics and because the authorities are fighting hard against poachers.

About difficulties

The most difficult thing for me was communication with people. The point here is not the language barrier, but the lack of logic. For example, as a manager, I sometimes face situations when an employee does not show up for work. To the question "why were you not there yesterday?" he can easily answer: "I lost my phone and got confused." I, like many other expats, racked my brains over this for a long time and came to the conclusion that such an answer is translated from "African" means something like the following: "Dear employer, I did not go to work because I was doing my own business, which were more important to me than you and your company. Why should I lie if we are all adults here and understand everything perfectly well. Maybe I was too I drank a lot, or maybe I needed to take my sick grandmother to the hospital, but it doesn't matter, but what matters is that I'm here now. Any discussion on this topic will be a waste of time, so let's all agree that I'm just lost my phone and got confused. " Is it difficult to work with such people? Yes very. Interesting? Of course - I always look forward to a new story.

Olga Barbash (Uruguay)

About moving

I first thought about moving about five years ago, after a trip to Thailand. I just fell in love with this country. I decided to stay there for the entire duration of the visa (I am from Belarus, so we need a visa) and at the same time think about whether it is possible to move to live there. About a month later I met a young man. He turned out to be a military engineer from Uruguay and was on vacation in Thailand. We started a relationship, and after he left, we talked for a long time remotely, plus I went to see him several times in Congo, where he served in the UN mission. After finishing his service, in January 2012, I moved to Uruguay. Since then I have been living there.

About life in a new place

One of the most difficult stages was the search for housing. Renting something for a short time costs fabulous money. For the first apartment, which we rented for two months, we had to pay a total of $ 3,000. All the savings were spent on this. Therefore, we decided to find something simpler and cheaper. When a realtor hears an accent, the home price magically rises several times. Fortunately, my boyfriend is Uruguayan.

Another problem for me was the lack of knowledge of the Spanish language. English in Latin America is a completely useless thing. But the locals are quite sympathetic and friendly. I am still sometimes surprised at the politeness and desire of strangers to help.

When it comes to work, I mostly sit at home. True, on Saturdays I work as a teacher of the Russian language at school. If you set yourself the goal of getting a job somewhere, it will not be difficult. The main thing is to speak Spanish and Portuguese, then you can find quite a good option.

About nostalgia

I really miss my family and friends. Mom is still worried that I have left so far from my home. Friends, unfortunately, do not come to visit: tickets are quite expensive. I myself do not visit Belarus very often - once a year. First of all, when I return to my homeland, I immediately ask for black bread and herring. Uruguayans do not eat fish at all, although they live on the coast. The local cuisine, to be honest, does not shine with variety. Also, some dairy products are in short supply, sometimes you crave kefir or sour cream unbearably. It's hard for me to get used to the too relaxed pace of life and the almost complete absence of concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events.

Igor Kostromichev (Belize)

About moving

I have always dreamed of traveling. While I was studying, there was no such opportunity, but as soon as I graduated from the university, I decided for myself that it was time to realize what I wanted. This is how my "great migration" began. I will say right away that I was never particularly interested in Europe, so the East became the obvious choice. The first point of my route was Thailand - not a very exotic place for Russians, but quite colorful. While living in Siam, he traveled around the country, studied culture. A few months later I decided to move on - to the West, to China. I spent some more time there, then in my life there was Cyprus, its Turkish part, and so gradually I got to Africa, and later it was America's turn, where I decided to stay. My choice fell on Belize. I looked closely at the country, realized what was what, and began to act. In Samara I had two apartments - I sold one, the other I rent to this day. With the money received, I bought myself land with a small house.

About life in a new place

I never felt like a "city" dweller, I was drawn somewhere far away from noise and civilization. Therefore, when choosing a new home, I proceeded from the fact that I would provide for myself. Despite the outward fragility, I am quite resilient, and therefore life in the absence of comfort did not particularly scare me. And so it happened. Now I have a small garden and a vegetable garden. In addition to exotic fruits, which are already abundant here, I grow various greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, okra (this is a local vegetable), pumpkins, zucchini, etc. As for everyday life, insects annoy me the most. I love nature, but some creatures are clearly not my favorites. There is no running water, of course. I buy drinking water, as well as some necessary things, in a small town located a few kilometers from my home.

About work

Now I don't work in a certain sense: I don't get paid for sitting in the office or doing other people's tasks. I devote all my time to agriculture and self-development. My main income is money from renting an apartment in Samara. Plus, the vegetable garden also brings some profit. Fruits are cheap in Belize, but vegetables are quite expensive. I am an economist by education, however, no one needs my diploma here, however, as well as in my homeland.

About future

I would not like to think ahead, but I understand that sooner or later, most likely, I will want to go somewhere again. It is difficult to say what this place will be and when it will happen. I understand one thing: I will definitely not live in the city. As for returning to Russia, sometimes I think - however, winter stops. I don't like the cold, but even in relatively warm places like Sochi, it's still cold. But sometimes I come home - once a year it is stable. My parents stayed in Samara. I understand that in the future I will also want my own family.

Natalie Goncharova (Ecuador)

About moving

I am originally from Moscow, but I always wanted to leave it. This is a very difficult city. True, I did not look at the move globally, everything happened quite spontaneously. With my husband (now former), we worked in the police. Twice they could go anywhere in the world at the expense of the state. Once again we decided to see the "other side" of the world and left for Ecuador. We spent a month there and just fell in love with a small tourist village on the Pacific coast - Montagnita. Upon returning to Moscow, everything was decided: we quit our jobs, sold our cars and two months later moved to South America.

About life in a new place

Immediately after the move, we bought a piece of land in Montagnita and opened our own small business bar. True, the joint business did not last long: soon I left my husband and moved alone to the capital, Quito. In the city, I rented an apartment with a friend, found a job as a bartender in a nightclub. Later it turned out to transport children to Quito. A new friend of mine helped me open my own bar. After some time, I became pregnant again, and had to go back to Montagnita. Both my husbands (former and current) built a house in which I lived for several years. All this time she worked as an administrator in a hotel. After some time, the father of my third son left for America, and I was left alone. After some deliberation, I decided to open a small cafe in the house. So she lived, worked, raised children. Then I met a musician from Colombia. Fell in love, sold the house and moved with him to the jungle. Here we mainly rehearse a joint show, which is our main occupation. We also opened a small food delivery business: I cook, and my boyfriend delivers it to customers. Ecuador is not a country where you can make a lot of money or build a career. It makes no sense to go here for this.

About difficulties

In fact, there was nothing complicated. Although at first there were big problems with the language. Fortunately, it turns out that Spanish is not that difficult to master. In the first four months I learned to speak, and a year later he became almost dear to me. But no matter how well you speak their language, you will still be a "stranger" for a long time. Moreover, the difference in attitude is felt not so much in communication as in everyday life: for example, the price of practically everything for you will be 2-3 times higher. It is believed here that if you are a visitor, you must have a lot of money.

As for "acclimatization" and socialization, the hardest thing for me was to get used to lying. People here are afraid to tell the truth in the face, and therefore they always try to deceive, in everything. This, by the way, manifests itself in promises. For example, if someone tells you that they will do something in a certain amount of time, feel free to multiply the waiting time by two or three. This is terribly annoying. Especially when it comes to personal services. Light and water, as in all third world countries, are turned off quite often, and it is simply impossible to wait until the breakdown is fixed.

The level of education leaves much to be desired here. Moreover, given its quality, they ask for a lot of money for studying at universities. But medicine in Ecuador is rather a strong point: to get help in a public free hospital, you just need to show your passport. However, examination, analyzes and procedures can also drag on indefinitely.

Probably the biggest danger in Ecuador is the Russian emigrants. These are mainly "runaway" bandits and scammers. Unfortunately, their essence does not change from a change of place of residence. Although the locals are quite calm, in some places you can safely leave the door open when leaving the house. Nobody will come to you.

My name is Olya, I'm 33, I'm from Moscow, my husband is from Rome, now we live in New York, and before that we lived 4 years in Africa - 3 years in Kenya and 1 year in Sudan. :) We have already written about Kenya here, but my "hit parade" is a little different, because I lived in Kenya not on the coast, where it is really very hot, but in the capital - Nairobi.

So, 3 things I love about Kenya:

1. Climate. In Kenya, the weather is about the same all year round, except when it is 5 degrees warmer, when it is colder, when there is a little more rain, when there is a little more sun. Best of all, Nairobi is NEVER very hot. The temperature during the day, even in the "hot" season (November - February), does not exceed 28 degrees. Well, in "winter" (June-August) during the day it is usually about 20 degrees, and at night 8-10 degrees. My husband, a great lover of the sun, before leaving for Kenya was so happy about the prospect of living in the country, as he thought, of eternal summer. Arriving in Nairobi, he was offended to the core. “No, I don’t play like that! Well, where is the vaunted African heat? Where is the sun at all ?! Is this really Africa ?! This is some kind of London! Continuous clouds and rains! " :) And on the contrary, I like this coolness, I can't stand the heat. In addition, cool weather means no malaria, which is also important in Africa.

2. Nature \ sea \ safari, in short tourism... For recreation, Kenya is paradise - here you have the sea with white sand and coral reefs, and mountains for climbers and "dummies", and geysers, and the savannah with animals, and the jungle, and salt lakes with flamingos, and fresh - with hippos, and coffee and tea plantations ... And the tourist infrastructure is very well developed, everywhere there are a lot of hotels for every taste and budget.

3. Generally, a very good "consumer infrastructure" - a wide variety of entertainment, shops, restaurants, movies, good schools and hospitals, an excellent selection of food (including local), etc.

4. Well, I will add one more feature specific to the so-called developing countries - the lifestyle of expats in Africa is very attractive: villas with gardens and swimming pools (you can rent this for $ 1,500 a month), a servant for $ 100 a month, etc.

What's not to like:
1. Of course, crime. In the villages and on the coast, it is still normal, but in Nairobi (or, as they joke here, Nairobbery) the trouble is: you can't walk along the streets on foot (especially in the dark), don't wear expensive jewelry and mobile phones, if you're driving - on the side of the road do not stop, enclose the house with barbed wire and stick it around with an alarm and call buttons for a security company. Terribly unpleasant.

2. Cool relations between locals and foreigners. Of all the African countries I've been to (Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt), in Kenya, perhaps, the distance between "blacks" and "whites" is felt the most. (Again, on the coast and in the provinces, people are much more welcoming and hospitable). Either this coldness was instilled by the British under colonialism, or, on the contrary, it was a reaction to all the nasty things that the British colonialists did to the Kenyan people. Most of all they do not like, of course, the British (and also the Indians, of whom there are a lot); when you say that you are from Russia, the attitude warms up a little, but all the same ... You can work side by side with a person for a year, and he will never invite you to visit. And when you invite him to your place, he will politely refuse. (Not like in Sudan, where you should ask for directions on the street, how you will not only be escorted or taken where you need to, but they will immediately invite you for tea / lunch / overnight stay and in general wherever you want!). Ethiopians and Eritreans are also much more welcoming and do not shy away from hanging out with whites, and the Kenyan will look at you for a very long time and smile politely.

3. Periodic outages of water and electricity. Well, this is a traditional nuisance in African countries, especially during periods of drought. However, this problem is solved by purchasing a water tank, gas stove, solar panels or a generator.

What is missing:
1. Well, like many here - the seasons change (well, or at least the longitude of daylight hours, otherwise all year round the day from 6 am to 6 pm, no options).

2. Naturally, Russian food, books, films, etc. The Russian community in Nairobi is not very large, there are no Russian shops and restaurants, so you don't eat Russian food except at the reception at the embassy twice a year. True, in stores they sell kefir (here it is called lala or mala), you can make cottage cheese from it. And one enterprising woman who has been living in Nairobi since the 1970s (she married a Kenyan, studied together at an institute in Russia) taught her Kenyan maid how to cook dumplings. Now all the Russians in Nairobi order dumplings from this Kenyan woman, so she, in my opinion, amassed a lot of money on this! :)

3. Opportunities to walk the streets, walk in the city center in the evening (see the first point about what you don't like), etc. It is annoying that you have to go everywhere by car, and you can only walk in a protected area: for example, in your own garden - which is also, in general, not so bad. :)

The journey to Kenya ended for a web designer from Minsk with the start of her own business project. Polina Kazak, the founder of the MARAMOJA service (application for ordering a taxi), shares her history of working in the African market and her thoughts on which niches here may be of interest to Belarusian entrepreneurs.

After graduating from BSU, I moved to St. Petersburg, where I worked. When I was no longer able to combine work and travel, I went into freelance. Along with this, I decided to discover a new travel destination - Africa.

Two years ago I visited Kenya for the first time. Problems with transport in this country prompted the creation of an application for ordering a taxi. The Kenyan market had all the prerequisites for this.

Business choice

Traveling in Kenya, we ourselves faced problems - there is no public transport in the country.

There are only three options for getting around: a taxi (although it is expensive, but the most affordable option), a private car and a private route taxi (this is a very inconvenient mode of transport: the cars are old, and the drivers drive very risky. In addition, there are almost no free seats).

If you order a taxi through a dispatcher, then he will send you a car that is as far away from you as possible in order to earn more (you need to pay for the entire journey of the driver from the moment you call the taxi to the delivery of you to the desired address). Therefore, almost no one orders a taxi through the dispatcher. People have their own 2-3 proven drivers that they turn to. Drivers try not to drive with unfamiliar clients, as they are afraid that a criminal will sit down with them under the guise of a client. Customers distrust drivers for the same reason.

The idea of ​​automating personal and very close driver-passenger relationships seemed incredibly relevant to us. For this, we decided to create a mobile application.

We have patented our business model and now we are the only socially-powered transport app in the world.

Here's what it is:

1. Kenya does not have a taxi market, but it has its own culture based on trust, loyalty and personal relationships.

2. People in Kenya only want to ride with drivers they can trust for sure. Therefore, with the help of our application, you can find your favorite driver or a driver recommended by your close friend by pressing a couple of buttons.

The emergence of MARAMOJA

The service we named MARAMOJA appeared in March 2013 when I met my American partner Jason Eisen. His work was connected with constant business trips from the USA to Africa, so he became our CEO.

In September 2014, we found a third partner - German Bastian Blankenburg, who married a Kenyan woman and moved here. He is an experienced programmer and Ph.D., he became a CTO.

I am the creative director.

As for investments, then evaluate their total volume is difficult. At first, we did not work on the full-time service and were engaged in it in our free time. Invested there is money that was earned on other projects. Then family and friends began to invest. Now we are already close to attracting very serious investments and are entering the stage of active search. We are open to negotiations on this topic and plan to find an investor within the next three months..

Our cost structure was roughly as follows:

• Application development. Technical part.
• Documents and visas.
• Staff salary costs (we, the three directors, are still not getting paid).
• Driver training costs. Not all of them are advanced users and know how to use applications.

How MARAMOJA makes money

In our system, the most expensive ride from one end of Nairobi to the other can cost you about $ 32.

If you take a taxi in the city on your own, the cost of the trip can start from $ 50.

We managed to reduce the price due to the fact that the driver does not need to return to the point where he usually waits for customers. Through MARAMOJA, he has the opportunity to take the next order immediately after the previous one in the area where he is currently located.

We only charge 10% of each trip, the remaining 90% remain with the driver. Our main task is not to snatch as much money as possible here and now, in Kenya, but to develop business and come to other African countries, and then take our own at the expense of scale. The taxi market in Kenya is large, but it is difficult to estimate its volume more or less accurately. Especially since it is impossible to count thousands of illegal drivers. Based on our research, we can assume that taxis are booked 50,000 times a day in Nairobi.

Another problem: in Kenya, many taxi drivers do not own their own car. Buying a car is their big dream, but a taxi driver drives his own car more carefully than a rented one, which, in turn, reduces the number of dangerous situations on the road. Therefore, we found a partner providing loans to our drivers on preferential terms. This allows them to buy a car much faster than trying to make money on it on their own. Accordingly, drivers are motivated to perform better.

We are now planning to launch two new directions:

• Service for ordering SUVs for corporate clients who need to travel out of town.

• Ordering a motorcycle taxi in order to save customers from having to stand in traffic jams. There are many motorcycle taxis in Nairobi and this is a big market.

Our practice has shown that Africa is a huge market that is developing very quickly. And this market is very hungry for new services and modern technologies.

Businessmen with a baggage of knowledge and experience can easily understand what is missing here and find niches for themselves.

Things to Consider When Starting a Business in Kenya

Starting a business in Kenya starts with obtaining an investor visa. To do this, you must show that you have brought at least $ 100 thousand to the country. The money must be in your bank account. It is not necessary to spend all the money at the start. You can just borrow the $ 100,000 you want and then return it.

The investor visa itself will cost you $ 2 thousand for two years per person. And you will definitely be asked to pay another $ 1 thousand per person to speed up the process. In Kenya, personal acquaintances decide everything. If you know the right people, then everything can be done quickly. My advice: get acquaintances right away. They allow you to resolve issues faster, even without money. We decided on principle not to give any bribes, so all the procedures take a lot of time. It is impossible to predict the timing of formalities at this pace. Kenyans value neither theirs nor yours. Therefore, they postpone a lot for tomorrow.

List of approximate costs of starting a business in Kenya:

1. Rent: a workplace from $ 320 per 10 m 2. Office with an area of ​​557m 2 - $ 4500.

2. Selection of a free name for the company - $ 1 per name.

3. Development of the company's charter - from $ 50.

4. Registration of LLC - from $ 8.5.

What business will be successful in Kenya

The country's economy is now being driven by:

• Infrastructure investment
• Mobile payments
• Agriculture
• Retail

Business development is facilitated by a growing market:

1. The middle class in Kenya is growing: in Nairobi it is 1.5 million people (the city's population is about 3.2 million people in 2010).

2. The quality of mobile communication and its penetration is one of the best on the continent. Smartphones are very popular.

3. Kenyans themselves have a positive attitude towards modern technologies and actively use them in everyday life.

The spheres of IT, finance and telecommunications are growing very rapidly. For example, companies such as Ushahidi, OkHi, Ubuntu operate in the country.

There are several important features that make doing IT business in the country especially attractive:

1. The high popularity of mobile payments. Africans hardly use credit cards and do not carry cash with them. Only 4% of Kenya's population has a bank account. The arrival of the mobile payment system M-PESA has completely revolutionized the country's economy. With the help of it, everything is now paid for: goods, services, restaurant bills, a haircut in a hairdresser, etc. Even a farmer in the most remote village will have an account in this system.

2. Ubiquitous mobile Internet. More than 47% of the population (over 21 million people) uses the Internet in Kenya. 99% of Internet users access the network through their phone. Some, of course, also use tablets and computers, but almost all of them use the mobile Internet.

3. The insane popularity of SMS . Messages are used here to resolve most issues. SMS applications cover all areas of life in Kenya, from payments to bureaucratic issues.

First of all, you need to launch everything related to E-commerce and modern technologies. The Internet of Things in Kenya also exists, but it is still poorly represented.

Mobile Application Developers Competition in Nairobi. Photo of the site spaceappschallenge.org

And there is still no restaurant with Russian / Belarusian / Ukrainian cuisine here ...

If you decide to work in Africa, then study the local culture and mentality.

Africans have their own idea of ​​the world and their own habits, culture, so it will not be possible to implement a Western business plan without taking into account local specifics. Everything here will be built through personal contacts and communication with local people.

Polina Kazak

Founder of the MARAMOJA service (Kenya).

Graduated from the Belarusian State University, Faculty of Design.

She worked for 10 years in various Russian companies.

Areas of interest: Web Design, App Design, User Interface Design, User Experience Design, Interaction Design.

The real stories of our emigrants are life, problems, work in Kenya without embellishment. When I was asked to describe how I ended up in distant African Kenya and why I have been living and working there for so long, I could not find the most important words and arguments for several weeks. Even now, after five years of “living” in Kenya, it has not “opened up” to me to the end.

I, like most of my friends, have always been and are successful people who, in any "Russian reforms and cataclysms", found the surest way to a decent life. And, most likely, it once united us into a large “team” that knows how not only to work and “make money”, but also to have a beautiful, active and unusually interesting rest! By the way, we ourselves, as it turned out, “picked up” our wives just to match ourselves and our frantic pace of life.

And when we decided in the summer of 2006 to spend a vacation in Kenya, which is still unfamiliar to us, then we did not prepare for a long time, we decided that we were going and that's it, period. Then we figured out the closest way to the capital of this "safari country" - Nairobi. And, having bought plane tickets, having ordered a Kenyan hotel on the Internet, they took and flew. Then there were 14-15 of us. An ordinary group of us, when there is more, it is more difficult, but that's another story.

So let me tell you everything, as it were, in a thesis and in the form of a kind of "list of our Kenyan adventures and exploits":

• When we arrived and settled in Nairobi, we were amazed at how actively their capital was being built, and it already looks like a kind of "African Hong Kong". Naturally, as always, we had the "initial plan" of our trip to Kenya prepared and the first thing we did was visit the famous Lake Victoria. Where we went on the next day in three rented jeeps and on a surprisingly smooth and chic autobahn got to it in 2 hours. Where they settled in one of the resorts, which, like “mushrooms after a rain,” dotted almost the entire coast of this amazing lake.


• Yes, there we "had a great fun"! We dashed on a powerful boat along the huge surface of Victoria. And there are so many outlandish animals - it is incomprehensible to the mind. We explored it underwater, chasing clouds of pink flamingos. But after returning to the hotel, we decided that now we are waiting for a safari with lions, giraffes, zebras and other exotic things, which in Kenya is myriad!


• When the unprecedented "orange morning" came, we went to breakfast and at the next table sat a very intelligent young Kenyan in glasses and a suit, which obviously costs 10 thousand dollars! Even then, surprised of course, we began to joke about the national dress of Kenya from "Brioni" or whatever.


• However, when we finished our morning meal and were about to leave, this trendy Kenyan politely called out to us in Russian! “Sorry, gentlemen, I understood that you are from Russia. Let me introduce myself: Najib Balala. I studied Russian at Moscow State University and now I often go there due to the nature of my work. If you have time, would you please be nice and tell me how you enjoy the travel service in Kenya? ”


• We, as intelligent, polite people, began to tell him that so far everything is just great and even though we had just begun to master Kenyan delights and beauty, we were already delighted and thought that this was the end of our dialogue of politeness. It was not so!


• This Kenyan "stylish guy" turned out to be the Minister of Tourism in the government of Kenya and he asked us to meet right there in the hotel restaurant in the evening, if we are not against it, of course. We, of course, dumbfounded agreed, but did not at all assume that this was our most important moment on that trip to Kenya.


• All day we traveled across the Kenyan prairies and savannas and still laughed: “Imagine, we are resting on Lake Baikal in a simple hotel, and our Minister of Sports and Tourism comes up to us and asks for our“ audience. Interestingly, this Najib, is he really a minister or is it they have such a "joke"?


• It was a real minister! And, he invited us to his place in Nairobi, having found out beforehand what we were doing in Russia. When we got to him, he laid out a bunch of Kenyan state projects and offered us to participate in them, because all areas of the Kenyan economy, from agriculture to tourism, are now actively funded, and our experience and professionalism, thanks to the benefits for Russian business, are unusually beneficial, as we are. and his country. And then our (not all, 7 people agreed) began our real stories of our emigrants - life, problems, work in Kenya without embellishment.

We have been working in Kenya for a long time. Everyone opened their own business there, familiar to him. For example, I supply exotic Kenyan fruits, vegetables, clothing, textiles and so on to Russia. Anton Street is expensive, Oleg is engaged in the design of resorts and hotels, and so, quite unexpectedly, we became “Russian Kenyans”. I personally and my family have not yet decided whether we will stay here forever, life will show. But there is no doubt that we will have enough work there for 20-30 years. And we do not regret it at all. Kenya - you are a miracle!

Times have not come in Kenya. A country with a well-developed animal husbandry is experiencing the worst drought in the last hundred years. In addition, the country has a strong overpopulation, which in turn prompts many tribes to fight for resources and territory. The tribes who settled near Lake Turkana and began to engage in fishing, practically ceasing to engage in animal husbandry, will soon begin to look for a new place to live, because dams have begun to be built next to the lake under a project for the development of hydropower in Kenya. Famed photographer Brent Stirton traveled to Kenya to take these pictures, showing the world how the country is experiencing the worst drought in so many years.

1. Many skeletons lie in the scorching sun at the site of a cattle massacre, which belongs to the Pokot tribe, Kenya.

2. The shepherd sits on the site of his burnt hut.

3. Place for the slaughter of cattle, top view.

4. A soldier searches for suspects who are hiding from the law and weapons in the homes of the Samburu tribe.

5. A Kenyan soldier guards the herd that the Rendili tribe stole from the Borana tribe.

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7. After the cattle grabs began on the territory of Koya, this place turned into a desolate desert.

8. The Evaso Nyiro River is the only large river in the entire country.

9. Houses in the Rift Valley.

10. A watering hole for goats.

11. Shepherds who illegally graze their livestock in the Mara National Reserve wake up very early.

12. Farmers are working in a corn field.

13. A small town on the outskirts of the National Reserve.

14. The Masai tribe.

15. School.

16. Children of the Masai tribe in a boarding school.

17. Shepherd covered with flies early in the morning in the National Park.

18. Small hospital. The main patients are children with malaria and pneumonia.

19. Warriors Masai walk on their land.

20. Sometimes shepherds work as cooks for visiting tourists.

21. The rest are trying to entertain tourists with dancing.

22. Top view of the houses where tourists stay.

23. Saruni Lodge is considered an elite getaway in Kenya.

24. The slum of Kibera, which you see in the picture, is considered the largest in Kenya.

25. Mosque in the city of Kajaho.

26. Somali and Kenyan schoolgirls go to school.

27. And here is a general view of Lake Turkana.

28. Cattle graze near Lake Turkana.

29. Tribe Dassaneh.

30. Children swim in Lake Turkana.

31. The ceremony of circumcision in the Dassaneh tribe.

32. The ceremony of circumcision.

33. Fish telapia, which is caught in the waters of Lake Turkana.

34. Before fishing, you need to prepare the nets.

35. The telapia fish lies in a bowler hat, which stands neatly on the woman's head.

36. Work on archaeological excavations.

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38. A worker stretches after several hours of work.

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40. A woman worries about her daughter who suffers from epilepsy.

41. Workers repair a windmill that delivers water to the city of Ileret.

42. Lectures of the peacekeeping contingent for the Dabra and Dasenech tribes.

43. River Omo.

44. Shepherds wash in the river.

45. Warriors of the Kamo tribe are preparing to clash with the warriors of the Bume tribe for the right to own lands along the Omo River.

46. ​​Warrior of the Kamo tribe at the firing line.

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