My Cousins Transformed Black Tax ‘Mchango’ into a Thriving Investment 

In December 2021, we all gathered at my grandma’s home in Karatina. We were celebrating her birthday as she turned 100 years old. The day was filled with laughter, stories, and a sense of nostalgia as the whole extended family reunited.

But it wasn’t just a typical family celebration; it was a moment of clarity for all of us, thanks to one sentence my grandmother said in Kikuyu that would change everything, “Family is strong when it stands together.”

It was a statement that hit home for many of us cousins, especially those of us who had been silently grappling with the weight of black tax. If you’ve grown up in Kenya, you know exactly what I mean. The unspoken but very real obligation to support family members financially, even when your own budget is stretched thinner than you'd like. 

Each one of us had felt the pinch of it—constantly sending money to help with school fees, medical bills, or unexpected emergencies. But at that moment, under the shade of the tall mango tree in my grandma’s backyard, we realized something: What if we could take grandma’s advice and tackle this burden together?

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The Plan Takes Shape

That day, after the plates were cleared and the speeches wrapped up, my cousins and I gathered around. There were 15 of us, all working, some more established in our careers than others, but each feeling the strain of black tax. So, we decided to pool our resources.

The idea was simple: after choosing the group coordinator, we agreed that each of us would contribute Ksh 2,500 a month into a joint account. Fifteen cousins, all chipping in, and that would give us  Ksh 37,500 every month. We’d deposit it into a money market fund, where it would earn some interest and grow over time.

The money would only be touched when there was a genuine need, like medical emergencies or family get-togethers. We wanted to make sure the contributions didn’t interfere with anyone’s personal budget or financial goals.

By January 2022, we had it all set up. We named our group “Hinya”— meaning "strength." And just like that, a weight was lifted off all our shoulders.

The Impact

I’ll be honest, in the beginning, I was sceptical. Could a simple plan like this really make a difference? But it didn’t take long to feel the impact.

Just a few months in, our uncle fell seriously ill. Hospital bills were piling up, and normally, that would’ve meant a flurry of panicked WhatsApp messages and people scrambling to send what they could. But this time, there was no panic. We had the funds ready. We stepped in, fully prepared, and it wasn’t just one or two of us feeling the brunt. We handled it together.

Later that year, when we planned our annual family get-together, we didn’t have to worry about who would foot the bill. The money was there, sitting in the account, quietly growing. We hosted the event without anyone dipping into their own pockets, and the relief was palpable.

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Growing the Family Network

It wasn’t just the financial benefits that made this arrangement special. Over time, more people in the family started noticing the unity we had as cousins. Some of our aunties, who were also contributing to the family in their own way, decided to join us. Slowly, as our younger cousins graduated and entered the workforce, they too were eager to be a part of it.

What started as a group of 15 cousins has now grown into a larger family initiative, with 20 contributors and counting. The more people who join, the lighter the load becomes for each of us.

Lifting the Weight of Black Tax

The beauty of this system isn’t just in the money saved; it’s in the emotional weight that’s been lifted. Before, whenever my phone buzzed with a message from a family member asking for help, I’d feel a familiar tightening in my chest. The guilt of saying no, the fear of giving too much, the stress of balancing my own needs with my responsibility to the family—it was overwhelming. 

But now, those moments feel different. There’s comfort in knowing that I’m not alone, that we’re all in this together, and that I’m contributing in a sustainable way.

Hinya has done more than just distribute the burden of black tax. It has strengthened our bond as a family. We’re more united, more supportive, and most importantly, more intentional about how we handle our responsibilities to one another. It’s a system built on mutual respect and understanding of each other’s financial limits, and it’s working.

Grandma’s words ring truer now than ever. Family is stronger when it stands together—and in our case, that’s literally what we’re doing. Together, we’re building a future where supporting each other is a joy, not a burden.