I Just Realised My Landlord Is a Colleague Who Earns Less Than Me

I’ve always believed I was doing well for myself. At 35, I work as an Assistant ICT Director at an NGO in Lower Kabete. I drive a nice car, my MMF has over Ksh1 million in savings, and I live in a rented two-bedroom apartment. My life isn’t extravagant, but it’s stable—and that stability made me assume I was ahead.

I was wrong.

Since 2024, I have lived in Ruaka, where I pay Ksh35,000 rent. We have rarely had issues with the building’s management. The house is part of a bigger gated estate built by a big developer in Nairobi who later sold most of the houses to individuals. 

Three weeks ago, the water started becoming unreliable. At first, I brushed it off—Nairobi inconveniences are part of the package.

When the problem persisted for three weeks, and the complaints to the agency went unanswered, we were fed up as tenants and demanded a direct meeting with the apartment owners.

Read more: He Built a Mansion in Kiserian, Went Back to Renting in Just 2 Months

A Surprise Guest

One evening, we received messages telling us to meet on the rooftop at 7 pm. It was mostly older couples, retirees, and a few guys who looked like tenderpreneurs. 

As everyone settled, I noticed a familiar face standing slightly to the side. It was Stanley Ogeto. I assumed he was there for someone else—maybe representing a relative. 

Stanley works in the ICT department at our office. Everyone knows him as quiet, polite, and sharp. Nothing about him screams “property owner.”

As the meeting commenced, all the owners present introduced themselves.  Stanley was the last to introduce himself. He stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“Good evening. I am the landlord for House B3,” he said.

House B3 is my house, sorry, it’s the house I have rented for almost two years. 

Read more: Would You Rather Buy a House or Build Rentals? [A Case of Ksh5M]

I Can’t Believe It…

Stanley is two years younger than me. He reports to me at work.  I know he earns Ksh100,000 less than men because I signed off on his last appraisal. 

It must be a family unit, I concluded. 

A few days later, I finally asked him. “Stanley…what’s the situation there, you didn’t tell me your fam is rich?

He laughed. “Nah, man, that's mine. House B3. I just had to step in after the agency messed up the water system for the third time.”

Yaani, the Ksh35,000 I send every month is going straight to my subordinate. A man two years younger than me!

I tried to hide the shock. "Mad respect, Stan. That apartment is easily Ksh7 million. How did you pull that off?"

Stanley shrugged, adjusting his backpack—the one he carries on the matatu. “Bro, it started with the 2021 bonus. Remember that big payout? I topped up my share of my Sacco savings, I got a development loan - Ksh6 million.”

Read more: To Rent or to Own? 4 Things to Consider in the Kenyan Market

Calling Myself to a Meeting

I remember that bonus perfectly. I used my share to make a down payment on the German machine - just completed the car loan last year.

Ironically, Stan was also completing the Ksh6 million Sacco loan. He lives in a Ksh20k one-bedroom - Ksh15k less than I pay him. This, combined with his regular income helped him pay more than the minimum monthly instalment. 

I drove home that night in my beautiful car, and it felt like a terrible, expensive joke. The Ksh35,000 rent suddenly felt less like a necessary expense and more like an enormous tuition fee I was paying to my own employee for a brutal lesson in financial humility.

We had the same starting capital in 2021 - I actually got a bigger cheque!

Two separate roads have landed us in very different situations. I have got the big title and the flex, but Stan has secured his future before me. What do I do now? The first step is clear: I need to rearrange my priorities!