Thomas Ouma (left), Marion Ochieng', Tina Cherotich and Sylvia Kangogo.
This December, some young Kenyans are skipping the familiar trip home. For many in their 20s, the holiday season once meant packing bags, boarding buses and returning to the rhythms of rural family life. But rising costs, work commitments, emotional baggage and the quiet pull of independence are reshaping that tradition.
Tina Cherotich, is spending her first December in Nairobi as she experiments with celebrating the holidays independently.
For Tina Cherotich, this December is different. She has always gone home for Christmas. But this year, she says she is staying in Nairobi.
“I feel like I am a grown-up now, and I just want to experience the holidays in Nairobi,” she says. “I’ve never tried it. I want to see what it looks like, how it feels.”
It isn’t about rebellion or family issues. It is simply curiosity and growing independence. Tina passed by home earlier in the month, but she wants to shape the rest of her December herself.
“I am ready to bear the responsibility of curating my holiday, what it should feel and look like, what it should entail,” she says.
For her, choosing to stay is part of learning to detach gently and create a life where she is responsible even for her own celebrations.
Unlike many young people her age, Tina isn’t dealing with external pressure. Her family is open and understanding, and she says no one is pushing her to travel. What has shaped it more is work—she will be working late into December and reopening early in January, leaving little room for travel.
The long weekends and public holidays earlier in the year became her compensation; she used them to go home because she already knew December would be tight.
“It really does get tiring. So I just want to see how December is going to be me, myself and I,” she says.
Finances aren’t driving her decision either. If anything, she says, staying in Nairobi might even cost more.
“I come from Nakuru, so going home is not expensive,” she says. “Christmas in Nakuru is not extravagant. So staying in Nairobi for the holidays is actually the more expensive option.”
Still, she plans to stay disciplined; enjoy the city, but not splurge, because, as she puts it, “the all-knowing January is just a few days away”.
Even as she embraces this new experience, Tina is aware of what she’s stepping away from. She admits there’s a quiet guilt behind the curtains. But she has already spoken to her parents, and they’re on board, even if they were not as excited about the idea at first. She calls it “compensation”, the way she has been going home whenever other holidays pop up, checking in on weekends, keeping the family bond warm. That, she says, is how she maintains the balance that allows her to try something new.
She plans to visit a few sites, maybe museums if they’re open, try new parks, and explore restaurants.
“I’m going to enjoy myself within the confines of what Nairobi has to offer,” she says. “I’m not going to go over and beyond.”
This December, then, becomes a baseline, an experiment she will measure everything else against.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one is going to pan out,” she says. If it goes well, she might do it again occasionally. If it doesn’t, “best believe me, I’m not going to do that ever again”.
Sylvia Kangogo, a nursing student, is skipping the trip home this December due to work, rising travel costs, and emotional strain.
For Sylvia Kangogo, a nursing student, December has slowly lost its shine. She says she won’t be travelling home this year, not because she doesn’t love her family, but because the reality of adulthood has made the holidays feel heavier than festive.
“I won’t be going home this December because of the hiked transport prices,” she says.
Sylvia comes from Uasin Gishu, and by the time she factors in the cost of a return trip and the expectation to carry something home, the numbers stop making sense.
“I’m also in for my clinicals, so I can’t just leave. If you take Christmas off, you must be on duty during New Year’s. Travelling for only two days is costly, I’d spend over Sh5,000 to and from,” Sylvia says.
The last time she was home for Christmas was in 2023. Since then, the combination of work, finances and emotional shifts has kept her in Nairobi. “I rarely go home during holidays,” she says. Her siblings also work through the season, so the family rarely meets as they used to. “Home is not what it used to be.”
Besides the logistical hurdles, Sylvia admits wider family gatherings aren’t always pleasant.
“My mum and siblings are great, but those other relatives ... they keep asking questions: When are you graduating? My brothers get asked when they’re bringing home a wife. Family meetings are not something I enjoy anymore,” she says, adding that going home feels more draining than comforting.
“I lost my dad, and home is not what it used to be. I feel like I need to complete something before going back home,” she explains. “I just find peace away from home.”
She now spends the holidays in Nairobi. Most of her friends live and work there, so the city doesn’t empty out the way it used to. She looks forward to simple rituals: finishing a shift, watching a movie, taking herself out for her birthday on December 29 and writing resolutions.
When her mother calls from home with updates, cousins visiting, the noise of Christmas in the background, Sylvia feels torn. “At some point, I wish I could go home, but even if given the chance, I don’t think I’d want to. ”
Her absence has inevitably changed some relationships. Coming from a large polygamous family that gathers every New Year, she says she hasn’t seen some relatives since 2022 or 2023.
“They don’t call me, I don’t call them. You also have my number,” she says, shrugging off the guilt society expects her to feel.
Sylvia dreams of a future where going home feels joyful again, when she is financially stable, licensed as a nurse, able to walk into her mother’s home carrying something meaningful and feeling proud.
“Maybe in future, but not soon,” she says. “By mid next year, God willing, I’ll have my nursing license. From there, I’ll know what to do.”
Marion Ochieng' chose to remain in Nairobi this December to rest, focus on personal projects, and manage a tight work schedule.
December feels different for Marion Ochieng, too. She has always gone home for the holidays; it was the unspoken rule while growing up, but this year, she’s choosing to stay in Nairobi.
“I’m not travelling home this December,” she says. “I have a lot of work to do and a few personal projects I need to focus on. This year has been overwhelming, and I feel like I need some space to rest, catch my breath, reorganise myself.”
She says the decision wasn’t dramatic; it was simply honest. Her employers have given her barely three days off, so the maths stopped adding up the moment she tried to picture herself on the road.
“Travelling home would mean stepping away from my obligations, and that would set me back,” she says. “Being in Nairobi gives me the flexibility to manage my time better and close the year without rushing.”
Growing up, holidays at home were never optional. That early expectation still sits in the background, shaping her sense of guilt whenever she considers doing things differently. But Marion says she’s learning to choose based on what she genuinely wants instead of what the family routine dictates. “I value being with my family, but I’ve realised I can’t always mould my decisions around what’s expected of me.”
There is the familiar pressure, too, the subtle prodding from relatives who assume she will be on the next bus home. “There are always those comments like, ‘So you’re coming home, right? What do you mean you’re staying in Nairobi?’” she says. “Even though they mean well, the constant reminders get overwhelming.” Therefore, for her, standing her ground this year is a small act of self-preservation.
Finances are not the main issue, but they do creep in. With only four days of holiday and fare hikes that nearly double in December, she says the expenditure feels wasteful. “You end up spending over Sh6,000 just to spend four days at home,” she says. “So it does play a role, not the biggest, but it’s there.”
Still, she knows she will miss home. “Part of me will miss the food, the jokes, the night chats, the childhood memories. But another part of me feels okay about it. One year away won’t erase the connection I have with my family.”
Nairobi has also become its own kind of home, a softer, quieter version of itself in December. Most of her close friends aren’t travelling either, so she’s looking forward to slow days, good food, visiting places she has never explored, and simply resting. “Basically just enjoying a chill December without rushing anywhere.”
Marion says she feels a blend of guilt and relief; guilty because she knows people at home expect her, relieved because she’s finally choosing what feels right. She tries to communicate openly with her family so they don’t misinterpret her absence as avoidance. “I remind myself I’m allowed to choose what’s best for me. It’s a balance between respecting them and being honest with myself.”
Will this become her new tradition? She doesn’t want to lock herself into anything.
“I’m not making a fixed decision,” she says. “If next year I feel more settled and excited about going home, I’ll go. If I need the break again, I’ll stay. I don’t want to go home just because it’s December, I want to go because I genuinely want to be there.”
Thomas Ouma is staying in Nairobi this festive season, citing financial strain, work demands, and the emotional weight of going home.
For Thomas Ouma, staying in Nairobi this December isn’t about choice so much as circumstance. Since losing his mother in 2021, he says going upcountry has been emotionally difficult, and the memories tied to family gatherings make the trip harder each year.
“I really loved my mum, but now she’s no more. Going home is just difficult for me,” he explains.
Finances and work also play a big role. As a sales representative, Thomas must navigate tight schedules and rising bus fares, making a trip home a costly challenge. “The current fares triple during the festive season, and with my salary, I just can’t afford it right now.”
Beyond practical concerns, Thomas points to the pressures and expectations from family when one lives in Nairobi. “People at home think that when you are in Nairobi, you have a lot of money. They expect a lot, and it becomes difficult to travel home.”
Even so, he does feel the absence of family traditions. “We miss our Bunyala festivities, the boat races, the bullfighting ... but the situation doesn’t allow it. We follow them online now,” he adds.
For Thomas, the choice to stay in Nairobi is a balance between self-care, financial stability, and the realities of urban life: “Nowadays, it’s every man for himself. I have to love myself first before I do anything else.”
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