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Kenya Travel Alert

Situation Security Update

February 15, 2008

This update alerts U.S. citizens to the current security situation in Kenya and the Peace Corps’ decision to temporarily suspend its operations in Kenya.

• In late January 2008, the U.S. Department of State authorized non-emergency personnel and family members to relocate from Kisumu and Kericho to Nairobi. Most official Americans and family members have done so. Only officially designated emergency personnel continue to work in those areas, and only as the security situation permits. 
• The widespread violence that has affected parts of Kenya since President Kibaki was declared the winner of the December 27 election has subsided in some areas, but continues to flare up in others. Recent outbreak of protests in Nairobi and violent civil unrest in Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, and Naivasha demonstrates the potential for continued spontaneous violence in the current political climate.
• There have been no reports of injuries to American citizens since the election crisis began.
• In late January, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan repeatedly met with President Kibaki and opposition leader Odinga to resolve the post-election political crisis. On February 1, government and oppositions agreed to a plan and timetable to end the political and ethnic violence gripping the country.  Kofi Anan continues to meet with the negotiators from both sides in order to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict.  However, while discussions are continuing, the situation remains tense. Violence could break out at any time should negotiations either stall or fail, or the public react to unfolding events.
• Because the situation remains volatile, the U.S. Peace Corps announced it was temporarily suspending its operations in Kenya and withdrawing all remaining volunteers.
• Americans in Kenya may continue to expect to see a large police presence, and outbreaks of hostile clashes between police and demonstrators, and between rival groups of demonstrators.
• American citizens should avoid all travel to the cities of Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret and Naivasha, and defer non-essential travel to the remaining portions of Kenya's three provinces -- Nyanza, Western, and Rift Valley -- which are most affected by the unrest. Road travel in western Kenya remains unsafe. Sporadic illegal road blocks by gangs or criminal elements make travel risky.
• American citizens in Nairobi should avoid Kibera, other economically disadvantaged parts of the city, and the Uhuru Park area, all of which have been venues for most of the political demonstrations and rallies. Sporadic violence in Nairobi continues.
• American citizens residing in Kenya should continue to assess their own safety and security situations and carefully weigh the risks of travel within Kenya.
• The roads leading to the airports in Nairobi and Mombasa are open and Kenya's international airports (Jomo Kenyatta in Nairobi and Moi in Mombasa) are operating normally. Seats are available for international flights out of Kenya. Domestic flights are also operating.
• Americans should avoid night-time road travel, including on the roads to/from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport, a domestic airport. These roads are subject to closure by police and/or disruption by demonstrators.
• For the near future, intermittent (and at times violent) protest demonstrations are likely to continue, arising quickly and without advance notice.  American citizens should avoid all demonstrations and protests since even protests intended to be peaceful can turn violent. The situation in Kenya is likely to remain volatile for the immediate future and U.S. citizens should, therefore, check the U.S. Embassy Nairobi website at http://nairobi.usembassy.gov/warden_messages.html for current information about the situation in Kenya. Americans living or traveling in Kenya are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel registration website. See also the Kenya Travel Alert and Kenya Travel Warning at http://travel.state.gov for the latest security information. There have been no reports of injuries to American citizens since the election crisis began.