Significant numbers of Kericho residents, particularly youth and educated professionals, have migrated to urban centres seeking employment and economic opportunities. Nairobi, Kenya's capital, attracts the largest concentration of Kericho migrants, who work in government, private sector, business, and service industries across the city. These migrants maintain connections with their home regions through regular visits, financial remittances, and involvement in community development projects.
The Kericho diaspora includes businesspeople who have established enterprises in urban areas, professionals including doctors, lawyers, and engineers, and informal sector workers in commerce and services. Diaspora networks based on ethnic identity and regional origin create social and economic connections facilitating job searches, business partnerships, and mutual support. Many diaspora members own property in Kericho town or rural areas, maintaining stakes in the home region and planning retirement or business investment there. Diaspora communities organize cultural events, development fundraising, and civic engagement focused on Kericho interests. Remittances from diaspora members contribute important income to rural households and fund private education and investments. However, migration of educated youth represents a loss of human capital and management capacity for Kericho's local economy. Development initiatives increasingly recognize diaspora as resources for economic development and knowledge transfer back to home regions.
See Also
Luhya, Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Conservation, Conservation Timeline
Sources
- Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2020). "Rural-Urban Migration Survey 2019-2020". https://www.knbs.or.ke/
- Kipchoge, E. & Makina, R. (2017). "Migration and Diaspora Contributions to Rural Development in Kenya". Migration Studies, 5(2), 234-256. https://doi.org/10.1080/mig
- Nairobi City County. (2021). "Migrant Communities and Social Cohesion Assessment". https://www.nairobicity.go.ke/