Commentary: Kenya Tourism Security Update

Kenya Tourism Security Update

KENYA TOURISM FEDERATION DAILY SECURITY UPDATE

Friday 15th February 2008, 7 p.m. Nairobi

SECURITY SITUATION IN KENYA:

The security situation remains unchanged, with all areas throughout the country reported to be calm and no reports received of post-election violence anywhere in the country.

In the tourist areas all continues to be calm and unchanged with no problems reported affecting any tourist visitors to the international hotels in Nairobi, the beach resorts at the coast and the wildlife parks and reserves.

Naivasha and Nakuru: Tourist vehicles continue travelling to Lake Naivasha, through Naivasha town and onwards to Lake Nakuru National Park without experiencing any problems as the security situation on the main highways through these towns is now reported to be back to normal. The freight and transport companies also confirm that their lorries heading to and from Uganda have been driving through Naivasha and Nakuru without encountering problems.

Areas to avoid: The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to monitor the security situation to ensure that any areas considered unsafe for tourists are avoided. While the beach resorts, the safari circuit, the airports in Mombasa and Nairobi as well as the highways between the airports to the Nairobi international hotels and beach hotels at the coast are considered safe for visitors at the present time, the following areas continue to be off-limits for tourists until further notice:

Western Kenya: The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to recommend that for the time being visitors should avoid the following areas where there have been sporadic incidents of civil unrest in past weeks: Nyanza Province, Western Province, and the western area of Rift Valley Province including roads to the north of Narok to Bomet, Sotik and Njoro, the areas surrounding Kericho, Molo, Londiani, Nandi Hills and Eldoret. These places are not normally visited by tourists and members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators have avoided the whole area since the onset of the post-election problems. Currently the situation in most of these places is reported to be calm with no reports in recent days of any election-related violence or ethnic clashes.

In Nairobi it is recommended that the high density housing estates and slums should be avoided, including Eastleigh, Mathare, Huruma, and Kibera but tourists have always been advised to keep away from these areas.

TRAVEL ADVISORIES The Italian government has announced that it has lifted its travel advisory against visiting Kenya and now recommends its citizens to avoid the western part of the country. This is on similar lines to the advice of the US, British and German governments which also do not have “non-essential travel” advisories for the whole of Kenya but advise against visiting areas in the western region of the country.

Jake Grieves-Cook

Spokesman, Kenya Tourism Federation