Nairobi, Aug. 18 -- Martin Tetu has rarely stayed in one place for long. After finishing Form Four in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, he joined the National Youth Service (NYS) in 2010 and stayed for two years. He later moved through trucking, construction and port jobs, always looking for better opportunities.

"I am one person that doesn't settle for less," he says. "If I feel that I'm not getting what I want, I will quit."

In 2022, he tried his luck in Saudi Arabia, joining a wave of Kenyan drivers recruited by a Hungarian company. He eventually made his way to Riyadh after paying Sh60,000 in commission fees.

He worked as a construction driver, then a bulk sugar driver, then a petroleum tanker driver. Seven months later, he came back home, w...