‘I couldn’t afford rent’: How one act of kindness changed a Kenyan expat’s life in Dubai

Dubai: Kenyan national Stella Wamaitha Njoroge first arrived in Dubai in February 2020. She was just 23 years old, expecting to find a job within a few weeks, and was excited to begin her life in the UAE. Then COVID-19 happened. Njoroge’s plan for her life abruptly plunged into uncertainty. She struggled to find work during the lockdown. She said: “My savings ran out quickly, and at one point, I couldn’t afford rent. I remember feeling extremely anxious about speaking to my landlord, who was Lebanese. I finally gathered the courage to tell him that I wouldn’t be able to pay rent and would need to move out, even though I had nowhere else to go. Instead of asking me to leave, he did something I will never forget — he offered me [the opportunity] to stay in the apartment for free.” Njoroge lived there for three months, without paying a Dirham. “Later, when things started to improve for me, I tried to repay him, but he refused. Instead, he told me to pass on the kindness to someone else in need. That experience changed me completely. At 23, in a foreign country, I felt seen, supported, and protected.” Ever since, Njoroge has discovered that hospitality and kindness is not just isolated to a handful of individuals – it’s the core foundation of Dubai’s diverse and vibrant community. She said: “It made me think — what a place this is, where people from completely different continents hold your hand unconditionally.” Njoroge wasted no time in paying her landlord’s kindness forward. She works as a business set-up advisor, helping Africans call the UAE home by offering them relocation help, business support, and advising them about the process to apply for family visas. Community beyond borders Through her job, Njoroge comes across people from diverse nationalities and backgrounds. Often, she purposely seeks them out. She said: “I am very intentional about meeting new people. I consider myself a serial networker.” It’s why she has met and made friends with people from all over the world, in the city. Njoroge added: “The most beautiful thing about this is that now, as I travel the world, I have family in different parts of it, because my friends in Dubai always make sure I 'm received warmly in their home countries. Sometimes, I even spend nights in their family homes.” On the eve of her birthday last year, July 25, Njoroge and a friend travelled to Egypt to celebrate. While planning the trip, she reached out to an Egyptian friend, Rimo, whom she had met while he was living and working in Dubai a few years ago. When Rimo heard she was visiting, he pulled out all the stops to ensure she had an amazing time in Egypt. “He personally picked us up from the airport, and took us out for a late birthday dinner in Cairo. The next day, he again picked us up and took us to visit the pyramids — something I had always dreamed of. Later that evening, we enjoyed a barbecue, and spent the night at his family home, after they warmly insisted. In that moment, Egypt didn’t feel like a foreign country, it felt like home. And to me, that is a direct reflection of Dubai’s spirit. The connections you build here go far beyond borders.” Njoroge recently took to social media to post the lessons she has learned from meeting people from different cultures, in Dubai. She said Russians taught her that “ambition has no ceiling”, while Germans taught her that being on time “is late. Early is on time”. Italians, on the other hand, taught her ‘dolce far niente’, which she explained is “the sweetness of doing nothing, guilt-free”. Each lesson has left its mark on her own perspective and personality. Njoroge said: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living in Dubai, it’s that proximity changes everything. The people you surround yourself with, the rooms you enter, and the conversations you choose to be part of can completely redefine your trajectory. For me, Dubai didn’t just give me opportunities — it expanded my vision of what is possible.” Paying it forward Njoroge said watching people in the community uplift and support each other got her thinking beyond her current circumstances. How she could help other African women? From her own experience, she knew they were under-represented in business spaces. Njoroge recalled an incident from three years ago: “I once gathered the confidence to pay and attend a very high-end networking event. I was the only African girl in the room, and that felt intimidating for a while, but I still decided to talk to people.” The event led her to find her mentor, who invested in her business and opened doors for her that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. In 2025, she started doing something similar for others – opening doors. Njoroge said: “Recognising the importance of visibility and access, my friend Joan Mwende and I co-founded the She Means Business Network in Dubai — a community focused on empowering African women to fully access and leverage the opportunities around them.” They currently have 100 registered