A new survey has turned the spotlight on Kenyan women abroad, showing that more of them are stepping up to support families back home than their male counterparts. The findings, drawn from a 2025 study jointly conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Kenya, and Financial Sector Deepening Kenya, paint a striking picture of how diaspora support flows are shifting.
The survey, which covered 4,400 households across the country, found that 680,207 women in the diaspora sent some form of support home during the period under review. That figure dwarfs the 447,475 men who did the same — a gap of 52 percent in favour of women.
A closer look at the data reveals that men and women tend to channel their support in different ways. Men were far more likely to send cash, with 338,000 men making monetary transfers compared to 241,000 women. Women, however, dominated the in-kind support category — sending goods such as food, clothing, and medicines. As many as 403,000 women provided such transfers, against just 84,000 men who did the same.
In total, cash remittances flowing into Kenya amounted to Sh848.4 billion, while in-kind transfers added another Sh83.5 billion to the overall support picture. The combined figures underline just how critical diaspora contributions remain to Kenyan households, regardless of whether that support arrives as money in the bank or packages at the door.
The survey also shed light on who receives the most support at home. Women emerged as the primary beneficiaries, with six million women receiving remittances during 2025 compared to 4.7 million men. Women were also more likely to receive both forms of support at the same time — 467,527 women received a combination of cash and in-kind transfers, against 320,452 men in the same category.
These findings challenge the long-held assumption that remittances are largely a male-driven affair. The data makes clear that Kenyan women working abroad are not only contributing more broadly to support networks, but are also doing so in ways that go beyond simple money transfers. Their role in sustaining families through tangible goods is a dimension of diaspora support that has often gone unrecognised.
As debate around financial inclusion and gender equality continues in Kenya, this survey offers fresh evidence that women — both those sending support and those receiving it — sit at the heart of the country’s diaspora economy.
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