How to Get Out of Debt, and Stay Out

Debt in Kenya is expensive, and mobile money has made borrowing so frictionless that many people are locked in a cycle of borrowing from one lender to pay another. Here's the way out.

First: face the number. List every single debt, Fuliza, app loans, SACCO, bank, family. Amount, interest rate, minimum payment. Yes, it's uncomfortable. Naming the number takes away its power.

Second: stop the bleeding. No new debt from today. If Fuliza is a monthly habit, the budget needs fixing first, a budget gap is the root, debt is the symptom.

Third: pick your strategy. The snowball (smallest debt first, quick wins, motivation) or the avalanche (highest interest first, mathematically cheapest). Mobile loans are usually both the smallest AND most expensive, so in Kenya the two strategies often agree: kill the app loans first.

Fourth: protect the plan. Build a small emergency buffer (even KES 5,000) at the same time, otherwise the next emergency sends you straight back to borrowing.

Fifth: celebrate milestones. Every cleared loan is a victory. Mark it.

Our free Debt Payoff Planner builds your personalised plan, and shows you your debt-free date.