Despite earning a substantial gross monthly salary of Sh739,600, Senator Crystal Asige lives a remarkably modest lifestyle, with her monthly expenditures, including rent, averaging just Sh50,000.
Asige gained prominence in 2019 as one of the first artists signed by Sauti Sol’s Sol Generation record label. She is now a nominated senator, a role that comes with a significant paycheck.
Her frugality is noteworthy in a society where increased income often leads to heightened spending and conspicuous consumption.
Her spending habits are a stark contrast to the norm, especially among her colleagues in the Senate, who perceive her lifestyle as below her status.
Asige attributes her minimalist lifestyle to a pivotal life event—losing her eyesight to glaucoma at the age of 15.
The loss of her sight profoundly changed Asige’s perspective on life and material possessions.
“My perception definitely changed when I lost my sight,” she explains. “I think it was part of the lesson I was supposed to learn. What do I focus on? What really matters in my life? Are material things more important than learning character or improving your personality, your emotional being?”
This introspection has led Asige to prioritize savings and personal growth over acquiring physical items.
Asige’s aversion to shopping and materialism means she saves a significant portion of her income.
“Whenever I get a paycheck from a gig or something, I just say 80 percent goes into savings and I wouldn’t blink an eye because I live simply,” she states. This financial prudence is further supported by her lack of dependents, which allows her to save more effectively.
Despite societal and professional pressures, Asige remains committed to her modest lifestyle.
When she first joined the Senate, she drove a small Toyota IST, a vehicle deemed too modest by her peers.
“My fellow senators said, ‘Asige, you have to upgrade,’” she recalls. Yet, Asige questioned the necessity of this upgrade, challenging the notion that one’s vehicle should reflect their professional status. “It’s you and your perception that is distorting what you think an MP should look like, drive in, live in or travel in,” she asserts.
