Nairobi, Jan. 12 -- With the new year upon us, life is slipping back into its familiar rhythm. The capital, once blissfully empty, almost a ghost town during the December lull, is filling up again, with roads clogged with traffic.

The airport, meanwhile, has shed its holiday calm and turned into a beehive of activity as the famed summer bunnies begin their annual migration, boarding flights back to their overseas lives after weeks of family reunions, nyama choma, beach sunsets, and nostalgic laughter.

Summer bunnies is the affectionate nickname given to young Kenyans who live or study abroad and return home for the holidays. They arrive with freshly acquired accents, stories from faraway cities, and the occasional wide-eyed reaction to ...