"My life has been a roller coaster.” The ups and downs, back-and-forths of the Kenyan middle classes: Social mobility and the fear of falling

This article shows the dynamics of social class mobilities and the middle classes’ strategic investments in social networks in Kenya. Taking a biographical view, I observe long-term dynamics on household, community, and regional levels, and argue that not only upward social mobility, but also continuance requires everyday practices of watchfulness. I argue that those who have accumulated decent financial, social, and cultural capital can navigate everyday life but must work hard to maintain these resources. Mistrusting the reliability of state security structures, Kenyans rely primarily on “traditional” community-organised security networks. For the middle classes, these networks are both a curse and a blessing: they must juggle opportunities as well as securities and solidarities; social networks are essential. Participating in privately organized circulations of resources thus remains the pivotal security system. However, as providers, individuals face a high risk of being overwhelmed by the demands from within these networks; as receivers, they face the risk of not gaining sufficient entitlements to resources for immediate or future needs.