Travel to Kenya

Several of you have asked me this week 'is Kenya safe'.  Having lived and worked in Kenya and being in pretty much daily contact with colleagues and friends there, it upsets me every time there is an 'incident' which seems to put Kenya on the back foot. The western press does a very good job of only reporting bad news from Kenya (and other African countries).  When did you last hear the headline "10,000 people had a fabulous safari in Kenya"?  Last weeks events were indeed tragic and my heart goes out to those affected, but these attacks really could happen anywhere in the world (as explained below).  Personally, I feel safer in Kenya than I do in London (but I'm a country gal!). My company, or any of the operators I book with, would never knowingly send anyone on holiday to a potentially dangerous destination anywhere in the world.

Anyway, this morning I received this statement from the Director of Gamewatchers Safaris, one of my favourite operators based in Nairobi who regularly host thousands of tourists to Kenya (and employ hundreds of Kenyans). He is also involved with Kenya Tourism and a highly respected figure in conservation circles. I thought I would share this with you to hopefully put your minds at rest if you are booked to travel or thinking of booking a holiday to Kenya.  Please do continue to visit this diverse and beautiful country and support the people of Kenya in their fight, with the rest of the world, against terrorism. 

Apologies for the long newsletter but I really wanted to share this notice which conveys the thoughts of the Kenyan people. If you are planning a holiday to Kenya, take a look at my web page and get in touch for a chat.

Travel advice regarding security situation in Kenya following the recent terrorist attack on a suburban shopping mall in Nairobi (update issued 28.09.13)

President Kenyatta announced that the three day siege was over as all the terrorists in the Westgate shopping centre had been neutralised and that all the perpetrators were either dead or under arrest and in custody.

We can confirm that everything is back to normal in Nairobi. In fact, even during the 3 days that the terrorists were under siege in the shopping centre, all was operating completely as normal apart from the roads in the vicinity of the Westgate shopping mall which had been been cordoned off by the Kenyan security forces while they brought the situation under control.

Very few of the visitors who were booked to travel to Kenya in the next few weeks have cancelled their trips. All tourist facilities in Nairobi and throughout Kenya are operating as normal and international flights have been arriving daily into Nairobi's international airport with thousands of visitors. Two large international conferences scheduled to take place in Nairobi after the terrorist attack are still going ahead.

It seems most people feel that this type of random global terror attack could happen anywhere in the world and that it does not mean that Kenya is a dangerous place to visit when a number of other terrorist attacks have occurred recently in cities in the US, Europe and elsewhere. We have received many messages from our future guests indicating that they refuse to allow global terrorist acts to stop them from having a normal life and travelling overseas.

The UK government travel advisory on Kenya did not advise its citizens to avoid travel to Kenya while the siege was taking place but included this additional wording: "Until the incident is resolved, you should avoid the area around the shopping centre and other public or crowded places, and limit your movements around the city. Exercise a heightened level of vigilance."

Now that it is all over, the terrorists have been neutralised and the incident at the Westgate Mall has ended, no additional travel warnings have been issued by the US or UK governments in respect of travel to Kenya. The existing warnings against visiting crowded shopping malls, avoiding slum areas of Nairobi or not to travel within 60kms of the Somalia border and to take the advice of the local tour companies have been in place for several years now and still apply but otherwise the advice to US and British Citizens has not changed.

Both President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron have assured the Kenya government that they stand with the people of Kenya in opposing terrorism. They have urged that such random and isolated acts should not be allowed to frighten people from leading normal lives and going about their business and travelling as usual.  They also pledged their support to Kenya if any assistance is needed and their co-operation in sharing information designed to prevent further acts by terrorists. This random terrorist attack by global terrorists (some of whom apparently held US and UK citizenship) is recognised as being similar to other recent attacks in both US and UK and could happen anywhere. 

As mentioned, there is no new warning against travel to Kenya and the advice regarding international travel is always to be vigilant and to follow the advice of the local authorities and reputable travel companies. The Kenya government has announced that it has heightened security throughout Nairobi and we follow the advice contained in the existing travel advisories and do not take our guests to any areas considered unsafe or which should be avoided. Our priority must always be the safety and security of our guests who are in our care during their stay in Kenya.

This appalling atrocity, carried out by murderous fanatics who came into Kenya from outside, has left over 60 people dead and over 170 injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have suffered and have been affected. The President has announced that a three day period of National Mourning will start today.

Thanks are due to the many brave people who were involved in rescuing those caught up in the attack, the medical staff of the hospitals looking after the injured and the thousands of Kenyans who answered the call of Kenya's Red Cross to donate blood. We also recognise the successful action of the Kenya government and security forces in defeating the terrorists.

The best way to overcome terrorism is to refuse to be cowed and to carry on with our lives while ensuring that sensible precautions are taken to be vigilant where appropriate. Our priority will always be the safety and security of our guests who are in our care during their stay and we look forward to welcoming all our visitors in the months ahead and will do our best to ensure a very enjoyable experience for all while in Kenya.

Jake Grieves-Cook
Managing Director
Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps