A Kenyan woman is in despair after she was kicked out of her home by her lover. Speaking to a JULISHA Reporter, She decried the betrayal, stating that her trust, love and hard work has been trampled on.
For five long years, she toiled as a housemaid in the Gulf, sending every hard-earned coin back home to her husband to build their dream house, just like they had planned prior to her departure.
According to her, she had endured the tough working conditions, long hours of work and denied herself luxuries like shopping spree's in the build-up to a better future.
Seconds turned to Minutes, then hours and later days. She effortlessly focused on her work. Days turned to weeks, then Months and a year was gone. She kept in touch with the love of her life, honouring her pledge to send him money.
A year went by fast, then two, three, four and what a sigh of relief it was for her when she saw through her Fifth year of work, having sent her husband enough cash to construct a beautiful house back home. It was time to jet back to Kenya and start a family, she was thrilled.
She imagined a warm welcome, a home filled with love, a happy life together with her husband.
As her flight took off from the Gulf, she looked forward to what the future held for her. Across the continent she flew and hours later, exhausted from the flight, she finally landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, JKIA, Nairobi.
She took a cab to town, then took a matatu and decided it was time to finally go home, hug her husband, enjoy the warmth of their home and catch up on the years they had not seen each other.
But when she finally reached home, she was dumbfounded. She broke down in tears as she tried comprehend what she discovered.
She found another woman in her place - her husband had married someone else.
The husband, threw her out. From the same house she had toiled for Five Long Years, Sending each penny home to Build, she was not welcome there.
In the quest for a better future, she not only lost her husband, but also her hard earned Money.
Meanwhile, in other News, Kenya is becoming an African hotbed for Skilled Labour Export, with Diaspora Remittance to Support this.
Kenya’s impressive diaspora remittance growth and stable financial market indicators highlight the critical role of external inflows and prudent fiscal management in sustaining the country’s economy.
Kenyans living and working abroad sent home a record $4.94 billion (Sh637.3 billion) in 2024, surpassing the Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) forecast of Sh600 billion.
According to CBK, this represents an 18% increase from the $4.19 billion (Sh540.5 billion) recorded in 2023.
The inflows were particularly strong in December 2024, amounting to $445.4 million (Sh57.5 billion), a 5.2% rise from November’s $423.2 million (Sh54.5 billion).
The United States remained the leading source of remittances, contributing 51% of the total inflows during the year.
“The growth in remittances continues to support Kenya’s current account and the stability of the exchange rate,” CBK noted.
This growth has significantly bolstered the country’s foreign exchange reserves, which as of January 16, 2025, stood at $9.143 billion (Sh1.184 trillion), equivalent to 4.7 months of import cover.
This exceeds the statutory requirement of maintaining at least four months of import cover.
Diaspora remittances have now surpassed Kenya’s traditional export earners—coffee, tea, and horticulture—in generating foreign exchange. This surge comes despite criticisms of inadequate diaspora policies.
Globally, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) moderated in 2023, reaching an estimated $656 billion, according to the World Bank. Sub-Saharan Africa recorded $54 billion in remittances, a slight 0.3% decline.
The World Bank had projected a 2.3% growth for remittances in 2024, although it warned of potential risks such as weak economic growth in high-income countries, oil price volatility, and currency exchange fluctuations.
Kenya ranks among Africa’s top three recipients of diaspora remittances, alongside Nigeria and Ghana.