KENYA
TOURISM: UPDATES
Wednesday 20th February 2008
POLITICAL UPDATE: The talks between the government and ODM opposition negotiating teams have been continuing under the mediation of Kofi Annan.
It was reported today that the President had stated his willingness to work with and share government responsibilities with ODM, but within the existing constitution. The President was reported to have indicated that the government fully supports a comprehensive constitutional review within 12 months.
During the mediation talks, the ODM leadership had dropped its initial demands for the resignation of the President and instead proposed that a Prime Minister should be appointed to share power with the President. Under this proposed arrangement, the President would then be Head of State and the Prime Minister Head of Government. Kofi Annan has confirmed that he will continue in his mediation role until a settlement agreeable to both sides is achieved.
TRAVEL ADVISORIES : The situation throughout the country has now been calm throughout the past three weeks and today the governments of Austria, Finland, France and Switzerland revised their travel advisories to lift the warning against non-essential travel to Kenya as a whole, now restricting their advisory to certain places, mainly in the western region of the country, so that Nairobi, Mombasa and the national parks may now be visited by their nationals. The US, British, German and Italian governments already have similar advisories in place which do not advise against travel to Kenya as a whole but highlight areas to avoid.
SECURITY SITUATION IN KENYA : The security situation 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.
Areas to avoid: We 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 in the Western region of the country and are not normally visited by tourists. Members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators have avoided the whole western 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.
God Bless Kenya