Andrew Stegmann

Moving to Kenya with your family? here’s a great online guide to help you

If you are planning on moving to Kenya, we may be able to assist. Feel free to contact us via info@relocationafrica.com or on 2721 763 4240, or visit our website here for more information.

Expats moving to Kenya especially those with a jaded or pessimistic attitude towards relocating to an African country will be pleasantly surprised by the range and quality of housing options available. European expats, particularly, can look forward to finding accommodation that’s more spacious than anything they’d be able to find back home.

Kenya is generally a politically stable country with a Western-friendly government and manageable infrastructure. The Kenyan capital of Nairobi is now considered the hub for business and development in eastern Africa.

Expats working in Kenya tend to be highly-paid managers of multinational companies, or development and NGO employees and volunteers. Strong levels of local employee protectionism can often make the job search difficult, even for skilled and highly-qualified foreigners.
Expat life can be insulated from Kenyan society, as the fear of crime, particularly in the large cities, sometimes cloisters foreigners behind the gates of housing compounds and locked car doors. Those who emerge from behind this curtain of fear can really enjoy the different cultures
of Kenya, all of which are famously welcoming and cheerful.

Nonetheless, those moving to Kenya may not find the expat experience as comfortable as in more developed nations, and longing for everyday conveniences and the familiar efficiency of home is a common topic of discussion among foreigners.On the other side of the coin, others find that the luxuries Kenya has to offer – such as large houses, domestic workers and high expat salaries – make for a higher quality of life than they’d have back home. Overall, whether life in Kenya turns out to be an unwelcome posting or a grand opportunity, all expats will certainly have a truly unique experience.

Banda School

www.bandaschool.com
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: British
Ages:2 to 13

Braeburn Schools

www.braeburn.com
Gender:Co-educational
Curriculum: British
Ages: 3 to 18

Brookhouse School

www.brookhouse.ac.ke
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: British
Ages: 2 to 19

Deutsche Schule Nairobi

www.dsnairobi.de
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: German
Ages: 4 to 18

Hillcrest International School

www.hillcrest.ac.ke
Gender: Co-educational
Curriculum: British
Ages:3 to 18

FAMILY ACTIVITIES TO DO IN KENYA

 
See here: https://www.myguidekenya.com/things-to-do/family-activities
 

Areas and suburbs in Nairobi

Nairobi is a prominent city in Africa, both financially and politically. It is important that expats moving to Nairobi familiarise themselves with the areas and suburbs of the city in terms of housing, schools, hospitals and access to facilities.

Expats will find that the more upper class suburbs are situated to the west and north-central parts of Nairobi. These areas include Karen, Langata, Lavington, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Spring Valley, Kilimani, Kileshwa, Hurlingham, Runda, Nyari and Westlands.Eastern parts of the city tend to be more industrial. However, low-income residential housing can be found in neighbourhoods like Eastleigh, which is densely populated by immigrants as well as refugees.

Exclusive neighbourhoods in Nairobi

Karen and Langata

Karen and Langata are two of the most exclusive areas in Nairobi and offer residents modern, high-end living options for both expats and wealthy Kenyans. Nairobi Hospital and the Karen Hospital, two of the countrys top hospitals, are located close by, and the areas are home to a number of well-known private schools, such as Brookhouse, Banda and Hillcrest International. A modern shopping complex called Galleria offers the areas residents a range of choices when it comes to dining and shopping. There are two private golf clubs, and many shopping arcades close. The only down side to living in Karen or Langata, are that the areas are quite isolated. Although, public transport it is available, expats living in this part of Nairobi should have a car.

Runda

Runda is a self-contained neighbourhood, which has a bit of a rural touch. Runda Estate is Nairobis largest gated community and comes equipped with a state-of-the-art security system and an active residents association. Accommodation in these areas usually come in the form of large, modern houses on huge plots. The Village Market, one of Nairobi’s upmarket shopping centres, is located close by and offers a large multiplex cinema, a great food court, restaurants, supermarkets and dozens of boutique stores. Runda is popular with expats with kids as there are a number of kindergartens, primary and secondary international schools nearby, including the International School of Kenya, the German School and Roslyn Academy.

Ridgeways

Ridgeways is another self-contained neighbourhood close to Runda. It is situated within Karura Forest and is the former home of Kenyas colonial elite. Now the area offers luxury housing options for well-paid diplomats and wealthy Kenyans. While residents have access to all the facilities in neighbouring Runda, Ridgeways main attraction is the exclusive Windsor Golf Club.

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René Stegmann

Permanent Residence Applications submitted prior to 2 June 2014 at the Department of Home Affairs’ local offices.

The Department of Home Affairs was, prior to 2 June 2014, receiving applications for permanent residence permit through its local offices, utilising a Track and Trace System. The Department has adjudicated all applications received through the Track and Trace System, however, there appears to be about 4616 applications on the System which the Department has no records.

For more information and specifics on the Acts to refer to please see attached documents or contact tracy@relocationafrica.com or +27217634240 for more detail.PR Historical Applicaitons and  check your name is on this list – Names of PR outstanding 2014

Andrew Stegmann

Angola immigration changes – companies may pay foreign employees in foreign currency & offer agreed benefit packages

ANGOLA | Companies May Pay Foreign Employees in Foreign Currency and Offer Agreed Benefit Packages
In March, Pro-Link GLOBAL reported on Angolan Presidential Decree (No. 43/17) which required foreign workers in the country to be paid only in kwanzas (the local currency), capped benefit packages at 50 percent of base salary, and placed a maximum length on foreign employment contracts of 36 months. See our Immigration Dispatch of March 20 for more details. At that time, we believed the policy to be misguided and likely detrimental to business activity in Angola by making it more difficult to recruit the needed skilled foreign labor. Apparently, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos now agrees and, on April 24, the President signed a new decree (No. 78/17) repealing the earlier decree.

The net result of the two decrees is that we are now back to the prior rule that companies and their foreign employees are free to contract for whatever salary, in whatever currency, with whatever benefits package, for however long, they agree. While employment-based immigration in Angola will continue to be a somewhat challenging and opaque affair, this is at least a positive “about face” after previously heading in the wrong direction.

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Andrew Stegmann

South Africa ‘working on scrapping visa for all African citizens’

South Africa is working towards allowing all African citizens to enter the country without visas – but at first “trusted travellers” like diplomats, officials, academics, business people and students will be the only ones to benefit.

The Department of Home Affairs has outlined its steps towards scrapping visa requirements in its latest White Paper on International Migration, which was adopted by cabinet six weeks ago but has not yet been made public.

The African Union’s Agenda 2063, championed by former AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, calls for the scrapping of visa requirements for all African citizens travelling on the continent by 2018 based on the views of the African Renaissance.

The African passport was launched with great ceremony by Dlamini-Zuma and Rwandan President Paul Kagame at last year’s AU summit in Kigali.

According to the White Paper, South Africa “fully supports the vision of an Africa where its citizens can move more freely across national borders, where intra-Africa trade is encouraged and there is greater integration and development of the African continent”.

It said the current status was untenable. “For instance, on average Africans need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries. They can get visas on arrival in only 25% of other countries. Finally, they do not need a visa to travel to just 20% of other countries on the continent.”

Security-based approach

But the White Paper, which moves South Africa’s approach to immigration from a purely administrative one to a security-based approach, warns that the scrapping of visas needs to happen with caution.

South Africa’s risk-based approach “advocates for an incremental removal of migration formalities for frequent and trusted travellers including diplomats, officials, academics, business persons, students, etc.”

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