Work in Mombassa

Member since 20 February 2023

mattshorland76New member23 February 2023 11:22:28

Hi guys

im a British National intending to come out to Mombasa in April to do volunteering work, hopefully leading to paid work further down the line.

I have worked as a TEFL teacher in China and The Ukraine at a school and kindergarten, and also have a large amount of experience in administration, telephony and office work.

Firstly any advice on the area, culture, and general assistance would be much appreciated.

Secondly if anyone has any contacts for volunteer work they can supply me, then that would be fantastic.

Kind regards

Matt

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Longonot62 Kenya Advisor

Member since 05 March 2010

Longonot62Kenya Advisor23 February 2023 18:14:03

1515

Volunteering is illegal in Kenya unless you have a work permit of sorts, or a 'Special Pass' (you would need support from the sponsoring organisation to obtain one for 3 months).

Unpaid work counts as work and is often seen as depriving a Kenyan of a job. The other aspect which is often criticised is that volunteers show up, work for a few weeks, then disappear, so there is no continuity and local communities are left hanging.

I wouldn't recommend volunteering unofficially and 'under the radar'. If caught you would very likely be arrested and deported.

For paid work you need a work permit and for that you need a job offer and ideally have expertise in an area where there is a skills shortage as employers must attempt to fill vacancies from the local labour market first.