The United States is globally pictured to be a place full of abundance, prosperity and opportunity. Benard Kiprono is among the billions who had a dream to live in the land of ‘milk and honey’.
While in Kenya, Kiprono resided in Kapseret and worked as a second-hand clothes (mitumba) businessman, operating in the Kericho, Bomet and Kapkatet markets.
Two years ago, he made a life-changing choice to pursue better opportunities in the United States. He’s now a US citizen by virtue of joining the US Air Force.
On his YouTube channel, Benard shares that when he applied for his green card, he wasn’t certain if he would be successful. He had heard many stories of people who had to apply multiple times before finally obtaining it.
To increase his odds, he discussed with his wife the idea of her applying for the DV as well. When the results were released, Benard was among the hundreds of thousands who had won in the DV program.
This meant that if he were to obtain a green card, his wife and four children would be relocating with him.
Benard Kiprono recalled his first attempt to visit the US in 2017 when he received a letter purportedly from Central Michigan University.
The letter requested him to apply for a passport but required payment through M-Pesa, which raised his eyebrows and made him believe it was a scam.
“I wrote to the American Embassy who told me university emails end with edu,” he said.
“I joined Kenyatta University for B.Com Finance, a parallel course and started researching on how to go to the US.”
When the DV23 season came around, Bernard started his preparations in advance. During this time, he also formalized his marriage. In October 2021, he submitted his application, and on the second day, he applied for his wife as the primary applicant as well.
“Mine was successful, my wife’s wasn’t. Winning is not enough, processing costs an arm and leg. The medical interview was slated for September, while the interview at the embassy was slated for October. I didn’t have enough money for 4 people, so I sold my plot for Sh. 1.5 million,” Kiprono went on.
Jackson Maina: From watchman in Samburu to serving in the US Navy
He had to cover several expenses, including medical costs of Sh. 157,000 at IOM in Nairobi, an embassy fee, a Green Card production fee, and air tickets to America.
“After winning, the issue of hosting came up, and I wrote to friends but they refused. Someone sent me his address DS260 and submitted it. I ended up being hosted by my step-sister.”
The flight to the US cost him Sh. 425,000 and he arrived through a Chicago airport. After 10 days living in the US, he received his social security. 26 days later, he started looking for his first job.
“My first job was at Home Depot and later I looked for a recruiter (military). I researched online and after my application, the recruiter came for me and we finalised everything else.”
“I joined the Air Force because of the age factor; it was only the Air Force and the Navy that were looking for people my age,” he narrated on his channel.
Benard sat for his military cyber security exams, passed all the physical training tests and in 7.5 weeks, he was hired. This meant that he was now eligible to be a citizen of the US.
“I settled for a finance position; I am now a Finance Controller.”
“A military job gives you citizenship within a few weeks and accommodates you with your family. They pay your allowance on base or off base. This is a mortgage loan at zero interest and you will only be charged inspection costs for your house.”
