For many Kenyans who study abroad, the greatest challenge begins after graduation: returning home to a job market that offers few opportunities for their skills or facing a familiar question overseas: “Will you need visa sponsorship?”

Yet some students who leave Kenya for study end up building careers across entirely different countries from where they first arrived.

Such is the case for Hosea Imbo. Seven years ago, he left Kenya to study engineering and technology in Hungary.
Today, the 30-year-old lives in Germany, where he works as an engineer after studying and building his life across several European countries.

His journey did not begin in Europe. He was initially pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science at the Technical University of Kenya when he applied for a scholarship abroad.

When the visa came through, he dropped his course in Kenya and moved to Hungary to study Electrical Engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

The transition was not easy.

Hungary was a shock. He had never experienced winter. The food was unfamiliar, and communication was difficult because he could not speak Hungarian. Simple things like buying groceries or asking for directions became daily challenges.

“The first year was tough,” he says. “I had to start learning the language immediately just to survive outside the classroom.”
After three and a half years, he graduated. But returning home was not his next step. Instead, another opportunity opened up.

He applied for further studies in Italy and was accepted at the University of Padova in Padua for a Master’s degree in ICT for Internet and Multimedia. In September 2022, he packed up again and moved south.

Italy felt different from Hungary. The weather was warmer and the streets were lively. But the cost of living quickly became apparent.

Accommodation was the biggest challenge. Padua is a major university town, and housing is highly competitive. Hosea shared a small double room apartment with another student.

The room had two single beds on opposite sides, two small desks squeezed against the walls, and a wardrobe. Privacy was limited. Each person paid Sh54,000 per month, bringing the total for the room to Sh108,000.

“It was not about luxury,” he says. “It was survival.”
Food costs also fluctuated. When he first arrived, he spent about Sh4,600 per week on food, but this later rose to more than Sh7,700.

Beyond the financial strain, language presented another hurdle.

Unexpected opportunity

Although his classes were taught in English, daily life required Italian. At the supermarket, the bank, or government offices, English was not always spoken. Gradually, he learned basic Italian to navigate everyday interactions.

“If you do not try to speak the language, you limit yourself,” he says. “Even simple greetings make a difference.”
During his Master’s studies, another unexpected opportunity emerged.

Through a double-degree programme with the Polytechnic University of Madrid, selected students could study in Spain and graduate with two Master’s degrees. Hosea applied and was nominated. In September 2023, he moved again — this time to Spain.

Spain brought a new academic environment, new classmates and renewed energy. There, he studied Telecommunication Engineering, focusing on wireless communication and signal processing. The programme required him to spend three semesters in Spain.

By the end of the programme, he had graduated with two Master’s degrees.

Yet each relocation came with fresh adjustments; new rental contracts, unfamiliar bureaucracies, different classmates and another language to learn. In Spain, he also had to pick up basic Spanish.

But how did he manage to move across so many countries?
Since leaving Kenya, Hosea has lived in four European countries. He says the Schengen system made movement easier. Once he had residence in one country, relocating to another became simpler.

Finding work, however, proved far more complicated.
In December 2024, he began applying for jobs across Europe. He sent out numerous applications, but many companies turned him down because they could not sponsor a work permit for a non-European Union citizen.

“Visa rules and sponsorship costs limit many graduates from getting jobs because some employers avoid the extra paperwork and fees,” he says.

Still, he remained patient.

In June 2025, his persistence paid off when he received a job offer in Germany. He moved there and began working as an engineer.

After years of studying, relocating across countries and adjusting to new languages, he had finally stepped fully into the professional world.

So which country stands out most?

“Every country has strengths,” he says. “Germany is very organised and stable for work. Italy has a rich culture and strong academic support. Spain has a vibrant student life. It depends on what one is looking for.”

Looking back, he says language has been the biggest challenge across all the countries he has lived in. While his courses were taught in English, real life required him to learn Hungarian, Italian, Spanish and now German.

Uncertain long-term plans

Treza Akinyi also moved to Italy in 2023. In Kenya, she says she often felt stuck. “I was working hard, but the effort I put in did not match the salary I received.”

The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology graduate had been working in a hospital in Nairobi when an unexpected opportunity appeared.

One day, a friend sent her a link to a course in industrial nanobiotechnology for pharmaceuticals at the University of Pavia in Italy. “The application fee was Sh5,300,” she recalls.

Weeks later, she received an email inviting her to an interview at the Italian Embassy. “I prepared day and night for this chance.”
Three days after the interview, she received the news she had been hoping for. She had been accepted.

In September 2023, she landed at Milan Linate Airport. From the sky, Italy looked beautiful, clean roads and green fields stretching across the landscape.

But the reality of settling in soon followed. When she arrived in Pavia, the quiet streets felt unfamiliar and the town seemed almost empty. The language spoken around her was purely Italian.

Even routine tasks became complicated. Opening a bank account was frustrating. “I had to search for the only staff member who could speak English and arrive early before the queue formed.”
For health insurance payments, she relied on Google Translate to communicate with staff at payment offices.

“You do not realise how important language is until you cannot explain yourself,” she says.

Like Hosea, she had to learn basic Italian to navigate daily life.
Finding a job as an international student in Italy is also difficult without strong language skills. That reality has left her uncertain about her long-term plans.

“I do not see myself staying here for the long-term,” she says. “So I sometimes ask myself whether I should invest fully in learning the language when I am not sure I will stay.”

Finances, she says, are another challenge. The minimum wage after tax in Italy is about Sh185,000.

Rent can range from Sh15,000 to Sh69,000 depending on location and living arrangements.

“But one can survive on about Sh95,000,” she says. “Though you must budget carefully.”

After eight months in Italy, a new opportunity took her elsewhere.
She moved to Germany under the Erasmus programme to complete her Master’s thesis on bone tissue healing and regeneration. She settled in Erlangen.

As an Erasmus exchange student, she received help from the Erasmus office at her German university in finding affordable accommodation nearby.

“Rent for a single room in a shared apartment was about Sh64,000 to Sh75,000,” she says. Germany felt different. Most people spoke English, even older residents. “That was refreshing,” she says.

She had learned basic German before coming to Italy and tried to use it whenever possible. Professionally, she also felt Germany offered stronger prospects.

“I prefer Germany,” she says. “It felt more modern, with more career growth and even student job opportunities.”
During her stay, she was invited for interviews at major companies and even received two student job offers.

But once again, the issue of visas surfaced. The companies needed someone with a residence permit valid for at least six months to a year.

Now she is finalising her Master’s degree and applying for jobs again. Yet one question continues to appear in many applications.

“Will you need a work visa sponsorship to work in this country?” She knows what it means. As a non-European, the answer is yes.
“That is the hidden question every foreign student fears,” says the 34-year-old. “So we really have to be strategic to find a stable job.”
For now, she is focused on completing her studies. The future may take her anywhere as she hopes to one day start a nanotechnology venture.

“Sometimes you have to go where you are unknown,” she says. “That is where you grow the most.”

A journey of rejection

After six visa denials, she finally found her way to Italy.

She still remembers the weight of the envelope sitting on her desk. It had been delivered three days after she submitted yet another visa application.

“If this is another rejection, I do not know what I will do,” she recalls thinking.

Sharon, now 29, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Gender and Development Studies from Kenyatta University. Her first visa attempt was for Canada. Then she tried the United States. Both were denied.

She later applied for a volunteer programme in Serbia through AIESEC, but that too was rejected. She tried the US again, and again received a refusal.

Next came a caregiver volunteer programme in the UK. Still, the outcome was the same. Each application required money.
The US visa and related costs were about Sh40,000, while the UK application cost roughly Sh150,000.

Eventually, her mother advised her to stop trying. “We spent a lot of money,” Sharon says. “I felt like I had wasted my family’s money.”

At the time, she was working in marketing and earning just enough to get by. Then, in January 2022, a new opportunity appeared.

Through a referral, she secured an internship with an organisation working with indigenous communities and women. The work aligned closely with what she had studied, and she was eventually hired.

While conducting fieldwork, she continued searching for Master’s programmes related to development.

“I was mainly checking the cost,” she says. “I wanted something I could afford.”

She found a programme in local development at the University of Padova in Italy. She applied. Months later, an acceptance letter arrived.

She then applied for an embassy scholarship. Before she could even finish the regional application process, she received more good news — she had been selected.

The scholarship would cover her tuition and provide a monthly allowance. But one final hurdle remained: the visa. When her passport arrived, she left it unopened on her desk for 30 minutes.
“My hands were shaking,” she recalls. When she finally opened it, the visa was there. “At last.”

In September 2022, Sharon landed in Italy and moved to the Veneto region in northern Italy. “The north has more jobs than the south,” she explains. “But it is also more expensive.”
A single room rent can cost between Sh38,000 and Sh100,000 per month.

To support herself, she worked part-time while studying. She cleaned hotel rooms and did night inventory work in supermarkets and warehouses.

Breaking into professional work was even harder. “Getting into corporate roles as a foreign Black woman is hard,” she says. “Many migrants end up in manual labour jobs that locals do not want.”

But she refused to give up. Today, Sharon works as a project manager in Italy. She graduated with her Master’s degree in March 2025.

The long struggle finally led to stability. “It was not luck,” she says. “It was persistence. I was rejected six times. But I tried one more time.”

While still working part-time jobs, she applied for a position as a carbon project manager at a company in northern Italy. She was invited for an interview.

Months passed with no response. Then, in December, she saw the same position advertised again.

She decided to try once more and sent her CV. This time, the company’s CEO contacted her directly on LinkedIn and invited her for a physical meeting.

She travelled for the interview. In January, she received the offer.
Today, Sharon works as a project manager in Italy. She graduated with her Master’s degree in March 2025.

For her, the long struggle has finally led to stability.
“It was not luck,” she says. “It was persistence. I was rejected six times. But I tried one more time.”

→ mochieng@ke.nationmedia.com

Follow our WhatsApp channel for the latest business and markets updates.