Why I Moved to Kenya And What The Experience Is Like

I have been in Kenya and it has changed my life. I'll be talking to you about what I've learned, why I chose Kenya, what it's like, what things I have done, and what my experience had been like as a Black American Muslim woman. . So I have a very unique perspective on what it's like traveling as a disabled black American Muslim woman that I have all these parts of my identity.

I'll be telling you more about my experience, and then I'll also open up the opportunity for you to exclusively travel with me or I can share with you the places that I've been, and I can also personalize your trip. If you are looking to travel to Kenya, you are one of those digital nomads remote workers, and you're looking to become an expat, and may be the expat visas. Be sure to, subscribe for more future content on traveling, on mental health, and on all things Kenya.

Are You a Kenyan? When I did my DNA test, this is through Ancestry, DNA and I was, I have a code I can link in the bottom if you are looking for discounts on doing your own DNA test. Of course, because it is the DNA test. It's very vague, right? So it's not the other one called African ancestry where I could have gotten this specific tribe. But the brilliant part about being. On the continent of Africa as a whole is you technically have natural born genealogists everywhere.

They will look you in the eye and determine by your facial feature what area you are from. And really ever since I've been here, people really think I am from Kenya. I've also heard that they think I am from Tanzania, which is the country right below Kenya.

Why have I been in Kenya? Why did I choose Kenya? I have been spiritually connected to Kenya. Mainly when I first started photography school. I was in photography school in Washington DC There was a school as a part of Boston University they had a Center for Digital Imaging Arts. And while I was in one of those classes, we had to go on Google and do some location scouting probably for the wedding session that we had.

So I came across a blogger photographer who showed all of the beautiful pictures about a wedding she captured on Lamu Island, Kenya. And from the minute I saw those images, I said, probably out loud and underneath my breath, I want to go to Lamu Island, Kenya one day. And little did I know that one day would become 12 years later, from the moment I saw those photos. So many things in between really led up to that moment.

Career-wise, I am a brand strategist, so a lot of the times my clients were always international. But also before I officially became a brand strategist, I had already visited three other African countries.

My very first time traveling to the continent of Africa was through a program called Operation Crossroad Africa, which is the progenitor to the Peace Corps, a shorten version, if you will, where I got to spend two months in Ghana as a primary school or elementary school teacher while I was helping to teach them.

English. But while I was helping to teach them, I had my camera with me and the minute I take out my camera, like any children in any part of Africa, with it before smartphones where they didn't really have mirrors like that everywhere. So every time they got to see a picture of themselves, they were so excited. And that was always super exciting for me too as well, to be able to take pictures of them. I, the brand strategist as the photographer.

Those types of things gravitated me toward the motherland anyways fast forward a few years in 2021, I. I was actively using Instagram a lot to build my online brand. This is post pandemic. We were still in the pandemic, but everything was still sifting back from a very virtual world to now we're ready to in person. And so one of the connections that I ended up making through Instagram is with a rescue center that was based in Kenya.

And. Also, I am a Muslim woman and they reached out to me really just saying, hi. As Salaamu Alaikum Alaikum Peace Be with you. I've loved your content and we are looking to have more mentors, for the girls. And I have a video on the tour of the center that I've gotten to do since I've been here.

And so initially this rescue center, the Al Walidayn Rescue Center, was the initial invitation for me to come to Kenya. And it was through them that I was able to arrive on the visitor visa, but also while be here doing volunteerism. So I'm volunteering. And while I'm here, I get to do all of the things and really adjust to being a local through the experience of volunteering. 2021, we first got connected on Instagram. And so I'm like, I am coming. I'm coming. I'm coming.

So many things happened. I think the biggest thing happened was around that time. I knew that the health of my father was deteriorating. I was pretty much helping my mom as well to take care of him. And my dad , rest in peace. He passed away April of 2024, and he was a Vietnam veteran who really instilled the love of travel for me. And so having been to three African countries beforehand.

I really feel like I was just ready and prepared for Kenya because when I get to Kenya, everything that I thought I would need is already here. Everything that has been said from other YouTubers about Kenya is accurate, especially of all things positive. Especially again with me having worked in the digital world and new technology as a consultant, as a strategist, it's still amazing to have such fast wifi. You get here in, in 2024 finally, but it took some time, my mom's with me as well.

So that's a whole different perspective on what it's like to travel, with disabilities and with elders and seniors and what it's like to be a digital worker, creative. So all of those things are right here in the country of Kenya. There's the hashtag that one of the tourism board is using it and they call it Magical Kenya. And it really is because you can be in the city with skyscrapers and beautiful sunshine, or you can be in the country with nothing but animals and vast lands and savannahs.

Or you can be on the beach with nothing but water and very hot weather. Hey, when's the last time you created content and it actually brought you joy? When was the last time you saw sunrise or sunset and felt the warmth? I'm Jakira Naah Muhammad, a creative strategist, global storyteller, and your retreat host With over a decade of experience of traveling to over 12 countries, I know that healing happens internally only once we return to ourselves and surround ourselves with nature.

So that's why I'm inviting you to join me on the Kenya Coast January 2026. Join me for three transformative days filled with coastal beauty, well ness exercises, affirmation, storytelling, content creation, delicious meals, and a powerful community. The Sana Nomad retreat it for creative of the diaspora who are ready to rest and reset and realign. There's only limited spots available, so be sure to go to zaakirahnayyar.com/retreat to learn more. That's Z-A-A-K-I-R-A-H-N-A-Y-Y-A r.com/retreat.

There's nothing that you can't do really. And I'm not talking about legally, but I'm talking about activity wise, what are the many things to do? So since I've been here, I've done a little bit of everything. One of the other things I did not mention is that I am a sports enthusiast, so I love basketball. I love football or soccer because that's over here, but I love basketball.

And so again, thanks to Instagram and actually WhatsApp groups, a lot of the things over here are still word of mouth. So thanks to WhatsApp groups and Instagram, I was able to go to a basketball game. So they, it is new initiative called. BAL basketball African League. And so pretty much Africans and Europeans will come together and make a basketball team and have full on tournaments and playoffs. So I've been able to go to basketball games. I've gone to technology conferences.

I've met up with other creatives. I've met up with some people from a personal development program that I've taken that were in the city of Nairobi. You got to meet them in person. And again, with me being a Muslim woman, I'm also able to just be a little bit closer to my spirituality because there's a difference between the city of Mombasa and the city of Nairobi. The city of Mombasa has a lot more Muslims than the city of Nairobi.

And so being in Mombasa, I am able to just go to places of prayer and experience the Friday prayer, experience, the Eid prayer. Learn the language, historically, I am known to take the less beaten path when it comes to traveling. So most people, as soon as they get to Kenya, they will go straight to Nairobi, have a few days at the beach. So I did it the other way around. So I went because of course, thank to the rescue center. The rescue center is, in the area where they call it South Coast.

In a county called Kwale, and that county is just about almost an hour drive from the border of Tanzania, the next border ing country. So it's so hot, it's so close to the equator. So a lot of my time has been spent there also, because I have had this vision for a very long time to be able to build a photography studio, one of the other parts of my story that is told in other, sources of media is that my type of cancer and why I can only see one eye is because of a cancer called retinoblastoma.

It is typically detected through the eye. And so I've been rocking this one eye, a prosthetic eye since I was a baby, and as a source of just. Freedom and form of self expression I was introduce to a camera when I was at age of five, and I've technically been taking pictures with every evolution of a camera. So photography is never going to go anywhere, no matter how many times I tried to put it aside and focused on, AI or focus on video or focus on podcasting or whatever it is, but.

At the core of it, storytelling is my bread and butter in my heart. And soul it's always going to be a part of my purpose. And so I have spent more time in Diani because I have also helped to build a photography studio in one of their polytechnical centers at the rescue center. So that has taken up a lot of time, a lot of money, but not as much money as it would've been if I, was too focused on that vision in America.

How much do you things cost in Kenya? First, let me say this, the Kenyan currency right now 10,000 shilling, that's what they call it Kenya, the orange shilling. Tanzania is on a shilling too, but it's a different currency right now. But the Kenyan shilling 10,000. Kenya shilling right now is about a hundred US dollars. We also were able to rent a place. It's so easy to spend 2000 US dollars a month and get way more bang for your buck.

Being able to get photography equipment, it's a different price than it would be if you got it in Europe. If you got it in America being able to have the transportation to get to where you need to go is a lot more affordable than it would have been in America. So just to name off a couple of the expenses now, what we did do, we did rent out an apartment. We got to get a lease for an apartment. And we have this three bedroom, two bath apartment. For the equivalent of 300 US dollars.

We do have to pay for our own utilities over here, which to me makes a lot more sense because it's so easy to get tied up when the seasons change and you don't know why. Aside from the fact that you did use your heater and your stove a lot more, you don't know why your utility prices are jacked up to the equivalent parts of daycare fees. But over here is a token meter. Where you put the money, how much electricity you want. And for us it depends on every single place, right?

Because for us, we're still living amongst locals immersion into culture. So we're not part of the expat community, at least not yet, right? So for us, we have these token meters where we can choose how much money we want to put onto the, tokens, how much electricity we need and we have to refill it. And there's a little box that will tell us and we'll flash when we're about to run out of meters. But every place is different as far as how much it consumes electricity.

So for us, at our current place that we have we have not spent more than a hundred U dollars in a month. And then there's another thing called mPesa, which Pesa is Swahili for money. So mobile money. And it basically, before even PayPal or the Cash app ever existed it's literally a mobile money account before Venmo, before Zelle. All the things it operates the same way. The only way that I can explain in Pesa is this is before the Venmo was in the z in the Cash app.

It predominantly in Eastern Africa. So like you are most likely gonna be able to use it in Tanzania, in Kenya, in Rwanda, in Uganda. I believe in South Africa. I'm not fully a hundred percent sure.

How Do You Get Around In Kenya? There's three different modes of transportation. Give and take. For a regular day to day, getting to where you need to go type of thing. So one of those things is boda boda or motorbikes. If you travel to Asia a lot, I've heard that it's pretty common. This is my first time really seeing it. You like this you, whether you're a Muslim woman or not, you can ride those boda boda and get like where you need to go for two to three US dollars one way.

And if you need a round trip for someplace far away, it's been at least 10 US dollars, but it's the equivalent of about, a thousand shillings. And then there's also something called matatu, which are like mini buses. And then there's something on the coast and outside of the city called tuktuk or rickshaws. And those are the most common mode of transportation where we have been in the coast.

It's adventurous if you like open air transportation, but of course they a good old Uber, but they have their own version of Uber called Bolt. What About Food in Kenya?

They do have Uber Eats, they do have food delivery, lots of food delivery apps. But then of course there the other extreme where you can go find a market somewhere and get all your fruits and vegetables and literally go to those three common grocery stores to get pretty much anything that you need. One is called Naivas , another called Carry four, another, they called Quick Mart. They call Kenya silicone Savannah. Not many people know about this, but it had super fast wifi.

Now, depending on where you are, most places now have backup generators where you don't have to deal with so much power outages. But a lot of the places do have a occasional power outs. The power will blink for 15 minutes, but on extreme, rare instances, it will go out for more than three hours. At one point, I think they were literally adjusting and making more room for electricity. That power would die for six hours overnight. If you've never experienced any of this, it can sound really scary.

But, the beautiful part about Kenya is you can get all of the things, you can get the most advanced, luxurious experience, or you can get the most local immersed culture experience. And I've been blessed to say that I've done all of the above.

And so I have so much to say talking about all of the things, but it's been an absolutely amazing experience. And just continue to let me know what other content you want to see and, also be sure to reach out to me. There'll be a link in the description to reach out to me. If you're like, I'm ready to come to Kenya. I want to make it short term. I wanna come for a holiday. I wanna bring my friend, I wanna bring my family.

I want to do something creative, do something relaxing, focus on my wellness. Let me know because I am reopening, I should say reopening my travel consultee doors. I was a travel concierge, if you will, about 10 years ago.

And I did come back from my second and third African country and to help people to whether they're budget travelers and just understand the things that are not necessarily in your AI app, not necessarily on Google, not necessarily on your Instagram and your WhatsApp and your Facebook. So something I. know because of the people that I've met, because I connect with people differently than anyone else would.

So if that's something you're looking to do as well, you can hire me on as a monthly basis, as a as needed basis to personalize your own trips. So thank you again and I can't wait to share more tips.