“It Is Better to Do Business in Africa than in Europe” – Socio-Economic Positionings among Business-Minded European Somalis Moving to Kenya

Figures & data

Table 1. Return migrants interviewed.

	Gender	Approx. Age during Interview	Education	Profession	Family background	Migration history
1	m	45	A: studied in US	EA: company owner until 1991 A: hotel owner in Dubai EA: hotel owner, politician	EA: father - politician until 1991	Somalia - USA - Somalia - Egypt - Dubai - Kenya - Somalia (politics, business)
2	m	55	EA: high school A: unfinished studies	EA: military officer A: assembly line EA: businesses in Kenya and Somalia	EA: father - military officer	Somalia - Germany - Kenya (business)
3	f	50	EA: high school A: unfinished studies	A: - EA: restaurant owner	EA: father - political opposition and exile in Kenya, later Sweden	Somalia - Egypt - Canada - Kenya (business)
4	m	50	A: university degree	A: low-level management EA: electronics trade	EA: father - trader A: wife - university degree, UK citizen	Somalia - USA - Dubai - Kenya (business)
5	m	40		EA: war militia in early 1990s; hotel owner after return	EA: family of major warlord	Somalia - Norway - UK - Tanzania - Kenya (business)
6	f	35	A: university degree	A: NGO employee EA: consultancies	same father as 3	Somalia - Sweden - Kenya - Sweden (business)
7	f	45	A: Ph.D.	EA: founded NGO; consultancies	EA: father - diplomat	Somalia - Kenya - Canada - Kenya (business)
8	f	40	A: university degree	A: bank clerk EA: interior designer	A: parents studied in Egypt	Somalia - Egypt - USA - China - Kenya (business)
9	m	60	A: unfinished studies	A: taxi driver	EA: father - trader	Somalia - Australia - Kenya (health reasons)
10	m	45	professional training	A: mechanic	A: wife - nurse in Canada	Somalia - Canada - Kenya (children)
11	f	45	EA: dugsi (Islamic school)		A: husband - high school degree, owns business in Denmark	Somalia - Denmark - Kenya (children)
12	f	39	high school	EA: business	A: husband - high school degree, owns business in US	Somalia - USA - Kenya (children)
13	f	44	high school	–	A: husband - high school degree, truck driver in US	Somalia - USA – Kenya (children)
14	m	38	high school		EA: wife - dugsi	Somalia - USA - Kenya (children)
15	m	19	A: finishing high school	–	Kenyan Somali A: father - bus driver	Kenya - Sweden - Kenya (assisting mother with health problems)
16	m	30	A: secondary school	A: was in jail EA: helps family business	Kenyan Somali A: family lives on social welfare	Kenya - UK - Kenya (after being wounded in a gang fight)
17	m	65	EA, A: university degree	journalist, worked for IOs, politician	Kenyan Somali	Kenya - UK - US - global postings - Kenya (politics)
18	f	27	A: finishing B.A.	–	EA: grandfather - engineer A: father worked in Qatar until 1991 EA: husband - UK citizenship, runs business in Nairobi	Qatar - Somalia - India - Germany - plans move to Kenya to unite family
19	m	25	university degree (Somalia, Turkey)	A: works in real estate agency	EA: father - business owner	Somalia - Turkey - Austria - plans return (business, politics)
20	m	50	secondary school	A: dishwasher; tire trade business in Mozambique	EA: family owns property in Kenya	Somalia - Austria - (Mozambique) - plans move to Kenya (business)

EA - East Africa, A - Abroad.