Last weekend, there was a very interesting debate on the spending culture of Kenyans, initiated by @MediaMK on twitter. It questioned the decisions many a Kenyan will make, trying to keep up with a lifestyle they cannot afford in order to sustain a status quo. Just as previously discussed in our article here, these decisions leave many suffering, but riding flashy cars on the streets. They do it for the society. They want to belong. Notable here was the question of housing, where many people who have the option of living in their parents’ house will bow to societal pressure and move out in pursuit of independence, when they truly know that they cannot sustain themselves.

The average Kenyan, especially the one on his first job or the fresh graduate earns around 30,000-35,000 KES/PM. A one bed-roomed house in most estates ranges between 10,000-15,000 KES. Housing cost therefore becomes strenuous on one’s budget, where half of the monthly earnings go to it. So what do you do when you have an option to live with your parents? Do you bow to pressure even when you cannot afford it, afraid of what your friends will think of you?

Whichever way you decide to go, there are gains and losses. For example, when you opt to live with your parents:

• You save money on housing, utilities, etc
• There is financial security as you look for a job, or a better one
• Stronger familial bonds
• You can focus on investing the money that you would have used to take care of housing cost

And if you opt to go solo:

• It affords you more personal space and independence.
• There is a lot of personal growth

But is it really true that living with your parents denies you the chance of becoming a responsible adult? One of Kenya’s most prolific entrepreneurs, Peter Nduati, mentioned something we found rather interesting. He lived with his parents in Dagorreti for two years after starting out. Flats in Westlands were expensive, 3,000/- PM. It did not make economic sense at the time because he was earning only 5,000/-. If you do not know Peter Nduati, allow us to introduce him to you. He is the CEO, Resolution Health Ltd and Pine Creek Records Ltd. During the discussion, Peter also mentioned the lack of fiduciary discipline among Kenyans, where people will struggle to pay school fees in Peponi just so they can fit in. Peter says that his friends laughed at him back then for living with his parents, but he had the last laugh.

We also had a little chat with @MediaMK , who says that he’d rather live with his folks until he is ready to move out. “I first moved out when I was 19 after getting my first job. I couldn’t sustain myself, so I moved back in. It does not make economic sense to struggle with rent when you have an option of living with your parents, and as long as they are ok with it and you are helping pay the bills.” What about the pressure from friends? @Mediamk says that he cares more about investing his current money than about what his friends think of him. “When the cost of housing is strangling us, we never really get to invest our money. Everything goes into sustaining ourselves.”

From all this discussion, it is very evident that the current generation has a skewed picture of success. To some, it is the moment when you get to live in your own apartment, take your kids to an expensive school, and drive an expensive car. It is a success that is hooked on a rich lifestyle, where people are pushed by the need to ‘front’, but in reality, they are suffocating in loans.

@SamGichuru, (Sam Gichuru) a founder of the Nailab mentioned something that we think is worth pondering over: Maybe living beyond your limits will make you work harder. Will it?