THE KENYAN GHETTO BUDGET!

I like my ghetto brothers and sisters and I want to take this opportunity to dedicate this page to them.

Some proper nouns that have taken root inside the ghetto; mama pima, mama mboga, kiosks, nyama quarter, matumbo ya ng’ombe, supu ya mguu ya kuku, mathree, viazi vya karai, you mention it.

The social life is really good. People are very close. They talk, they play games, they watch soccer together, they share experiences, and they invent new languages-informal of course!

Salaries and Wages:

Most residents earn between Kshs. 5000 to Kshs. 25,000 per month. This amount of money has to be spread out meticulously to cater to all the spheres of the individuals’ life.

Household income in these demographic ranges from between Kshs. 10,000 to Kshs. 50,000.

NOTE: Monthly expenditure directly depends on household income.

Food:

A family of at least four people will need between Kshs. 100 and Kshs. 300 per day for meals. This will fluctuate in between this bracket depending on the type and cost of meals purchased.  That translates into an average of Kshs.150 a day and approximately Kshs. 4500 per month. The very low income earners spend as low as Kshs. 50 per day on meals, which is Kshs.1500 a month.

Rent:

This can be between Kshs. 1000 and Kshs. 8000 a month.

Clothes and Shoes:

A budget of between Kshs. 200 and Kshs. 1000 per month is allocated to this.

Fare:

Most ghetto transportation to and from town costs at most Kshs. 80 per day. This averages to around Kshs. 2000 per month. The very low income earners prefer to walk to and from work as a measure of cutting costs.

Home utilities. (Shopping):

A budget of between Kshs. 500 and Kshs. 2000 per month for shopping.

PAYE/Income tax:

Put it at between Kshs.300 and Kshs. 2000 per month.

Statutory Deductions:

Put them at between Kshs. 300 and Kshs. 8000 per month.

Savings and Investment:

The individuals in the ghetto salary bracket save up to between Kshs. 500 and Kshs.6000 per month.

Leisure and Entertainment:

A budget of as low as Kshs. 300 to as much as Kshs. 2500 per month.

Other indirect costs:

A budget of between Kshs. 200 and Kshs. 5000 per month.

I hope it all makes sense people. I think at the end of the day, we all have to be comfortable with what life has in store for us. Living within our means, that’s my mantra. I hope it is yours too. Be blessed!