- Alex Owino recently returned to Kenya for the first time after six years abroad, a homecoming that was both overwhelming and healing
- It hit him right from the moment he landed at JKIA that everything had changed in the country he left behind to seek greener pastures
- For Owino, the visit is not just a reunion with family, but a Christmas that made him feel like a load had been taken off his back, leaving him rejuvenated
When Alex Owino finally landed in Nairobi, six years since he last truly came home, the emotions caught him off guard.
Source: UGC
He had lived abroad for nine years, returning briefly in March 2019 for just a few weeks before leaving again in August, unaware that a global pandemic would stretch that goodbye far longer than planned.
Why Owino stayed away for 6 years
Owino told TUKO.co.ke that he had gone back overseas to pursue a PhD, which ran from October 2019 to September 2023.
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In the middle of it all, COVID-19 shut borders and reshaped lives. His wife joined him in Japan just before the pandemic while pregnant.
Before they knew it, they were navigating an intense and uncertain chapter: academic pressure, a newborn baby, first-time parenthood, and the isolation brought by lockdowns.
“It was a difficult time balancing university, family life, a new baby and the world’s COVID challenges,” he recalls.
Owino’s nostalgic return to Kenya
Coming back to Kenya after so long felt overwhelming and healing in equal measure. Family members had changed, parents were older, siblings were at different stages of life, and the country itself felt both familiar and new.
“I felt lost and happy at the same time,” Owino says. “But it also felt like a load had been taken off my back. I felt rejuvenated, like I was recharging my mind, spirit and soul.”
A civil engineer by profession, Owino found unexpected joy simply observing Nairobi’s ever-expanding skyline.
Construction sites dotted across the city filled him with optimism and a sense of belonging. While he is open to returning to work in Kenya, he is clear that it would only be for the right opportunity.
“I would be willing to come back if I secure a suitable position,” he says, adding that full-time employment alone is not his ultimate goal.
Source: UGC
Will Owino return to Kenya for good?
Instead, Owino sees himself as a problem solver, someone who believes Kenya needs innovators as much as employees.
The young engineer speaks passionately about the responsibility of young people to step up and bridge gaps in society.
Although returning home permanently is not an immediate move, it is firmly part of his future plans.
“With time, I will come home and start something of my own,” he says. “In a few years, I will finally make that decision.”
For now, his return marks more than just a visit; it is a reminder of where he comes from, and a quiet promise of where he hopes to contribute one day.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
