Kenya is beautiful and attractive, but can be sporadically dangerous as a tourist destination
Friends of mine who own a hotel in Orlando, Florida, are originally from the African country of Kenya. They are all American now, but still visit Kenya every year or so. Their enthusiastic descriptions of the country and natural beauty, as well as their personal invitations to stay with them, have made me seriously consider traveling to Kenya.
“Kenya is rich in adventure and is a very fascinating country,” they enthused. “You’re going to love it!”
Well, I was also looking forward to visiting the Residence Karibuni timeshare resort. The unique timeshare destination is in Mambrui, about 20 kilometers north of Malindi, according to the brochure. The complex is made up of villas that are surrounded by bougainvillea and grassy areas. You could visit the local market and buy fresh pineapples and fancy wood-carved souvenirs. Or you could go on Safari to see the animals in the National Park, or perhaps visit the Tsavo East Nature Park. In the south of Malindi there is even a marine reserve with snorkeling, white sand and adventure trips in glass bottom boats to observe the coral reef and colorful marine life.
A preliminary timeshare tour of Kenya and seeing my friend’s home country seemed like a very good idea.
Earlier today, however, my reverie ended when I received an email alert about travel to this part of Africa from the US State Department. You, too, should always be alert to current political situations in any country you plan to visit.
There is apparently widespread violence in parts of Kenya, including the greater Nairobi areas and the cities of Eldoret, Kisumu and Mombasa. The problems have intensified since the December 30 announcement that President Kibaki was the winner of the December 27 elections.
Although the violence has subsided in recent days, isolated incidents of riots are still being reported. The good news is that the availability of food, fuel, cash and airfare cards for cell phones is improving. So far there have been no reports of injured US citizens.
Kenya’s three western provinces, Western Nyanza and the Rift Valley, bear the brunt of the unrest. Road travel in western Kenya remains unsafe. Sporadic illegal roadblocks by gangs or criminal elements make travel possible only with police-escorted convoys.
Some, but not all, official US citizens who were out of Kenya when the violence began and delayed their return to the country have since returned. Peace Corps Volunteers who departed from the three western provinces have yet to return to the areas where they were initially stationed. US officials have advised US citizens residing in Kenya to carefully consider their own security. Safety and security situations make travel very risky both within and outside of Kenya.
Kenya’s international airports (Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi and Moi in Mombasa) are reportedly operating normally. My travel advisor says my seats are available for international flights out of Kenya. Most domestic flights continue to operate in Kenya, although some flights continue to be canceled due to fuel shortages.
It appears that protest demonstrations are likely to continue sporadically. These protests often come quite quickly and without warning. US citizens have been warned to avoid all demonstrations and protests, as even protests that purport to be peaceful can turn violent in a matter of minutes.
The situation in Kenya is likely to remain politically unstable and volatile for the foreseeable future. So for the foreseeable future, I am postponing any trips there. No matter how persuasive my friends may be and no matter how fascinating the country, the risk of traveling seems too high.
