Kenyan Immigrant Helps Other Newcomers Settle into Baltimore County
Thomas Mwaura
Systems Analyst for City Government
As a student activist in Kenya in the 1980s, Thomas Mwaura spoke out against the authoritarian government—only to be accused of sedition, wrongfully arrested, expelled from his university, and left unable to find work.
With the help of the American Embassy, he was able to get a student visa and came to America in 1991 to study computer science at Coppin State University. Mwaura’s wife and children joined him two years later, and he washed dishes and worked as a parking lot attendant to support the family while he and his wife finished studying.
Although he was now safe, he felt isolated. There weren’t many Kenyans in Baltimore at the time, and as a new arrival Mwaura didn’t know how to find public services, classes, or other resources. “I wouldn’t have known where to go,” Mwaura says. “It’s not like there’s someone waiting for you at the airport when you arrive to show you what to do.”
Mwaura credits his success to a combination of luck and hard work. He won a green card through the Diversity Visa Program, a lottery that awards only 55,000 visas a year globally, enabling him to stay in the United States and get a job with a local tech company after graduation. His wife also received a green card and became a public school teacher. Today, he’s a systems analyst with the city government. “I knew I couldn’t go back to Kenya, and I wanted to make sure my kids grew up as citizens here,” says Mwaura, who became a citizen in 2002.
Now that he’s built a stable life in Maryland, Mwaura is trying to help other newcomers achieve the same. He started by founding Baltimore’s first Kenyan religious group, the International Christian Community Church, which unites a handful of locals for worship and fellowship. Today the church has well over 200 congregants. “It gives people a place to connect and support each other,” he explains.
Mwaura went on to start the Maryland Kenyan Organization, which raises funds to help Kenyan immigrants travel to Africa for funerals or have loved ones’ bodies returned there for traditional burials. He also launched Hakizetu, an organization that educates immigrants about their rights and encourages political participation, and Elimu Center, a tutoring organization for kids that promotes African heritage through music and dance. “We want people to take pride in who they are and where they come from,” Mwaura explains.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elimu partnered with Afrithrive and city and county officials to distribute food and other assistance to local families. Mwaura would like to see more such government-community partnerships year-round. “When you’re an immigrant, it can feel like you’re on your own,” he says. “We need to work together to help people find the support they need.”
