A growing number of African Americans are leaving the US. Kenya is welcoming them with open arms
For years, Kenneth Harris yearned for a place where his dark skin was a mark of shared heritage, not suspicion. Two years ago, the 38-year-old retired veteran found that solace in Kenya, buying a one-way ticket from Atlanta.
Now based in Nairobi, Mr Harris has established an Airbnb business and found a vibrant community. He enjoys a luxurious lifestyle in an upmarket apartment, often admiring the city’s golden sunsets from his rooftop terrace.
Mr Harris is among a growing number of African Americans choosing to relocate to the East African nation, often describing the move as ‘coming home’ – a phrase commonly used within the Black community to signify a reconnection with their ancestral roots. Like many others drawn to Nairobi in recent years, he was attracted by Kenya’s tropical climate and the warmth and friendliness of its people, with whom he feels a profound historical and cultural connection.
“I have always had that adventurous spirit, especially when I joined the military and got to go to different countries. So I am taking the opportunity to venture out to new places,” he said. “That is what allowed me to make a home away from home and Kenya is my new home.”
Some friends have reaching out to him to explore a “change from the U.S for their peace of mind,” he said.
Several other African Americans who have “come home” like him have set up thriving businesses in Nairobi that include travel agencies, restaurants and farms.
Many African Americans who have sought a better life abroad or are considering it said President Donald Trump’s administration — with its crackdown on diversity programs — isn’t the main reason they want to move.
Rather, most say they had been mulling a move for some time, and the current political environment in the U.S. may be pushing them to act sooner than initially planned.
“I can’t say the administration is the reason why the people I know want to part ways from America. Some are planning to move for a better quality of living life,” Harris said.
Auston Holleman, an American YouTuber who has lived in various countries for almost a decade, said he settled on Kenya nine months ago because people “look like me.”
“It is not like going to Europe or going to some Latin American countries where there are not many Black people,” he said.
Holleman, who often films his daily life, said he felt that the social fabric in the U.S. was “broken.” In contrast, he said he felt socially accepted in Kenya. He cited an experience when his taxi driver’s car stopped, and in five minutes they got help from a random stranger.
“That made me realize I was in the right place,” he said.
Other African countries have attracted even larger numbers of African Americans. Ghana, which launched a “Year of the Return” program to attract the Black diaspora in 2019, said last year it held a ceremony that granted citizenship to 524 people, mostly Black Americans.
