Warden Messages

Security Situation Update

January 16, 2008 

The widespread violence that has affected parts of Kenya, including Nairobi and the cities of Eldoret, Kisumu and Mombasa, since President Kibaki was declared the winner of the December 27 election, has largely subsided.  However, isolated incidents of violence, particularly in the western provinces, continue to occur.

American citizens should defer non-essential travel to Kenya’s three western 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 residing in Kenya should continue to assess their own safety and security situations and carefully weigh the risks of travel within Kenya.

Most official American citizens who were outside of Kenya when the violence started and delayed their return to the country, have since returned. The availability of food, fuel, cash and cards to replenish cell phone airtime has improved.

The roads leading to the airports in Nairobi and Mombasa are open andKenya’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, however, avoid nighttime road travel, including the roads to/from JKIA and Wilson airports as these roads are subject to closure by police and/or disruption by demonstrators.

American citizens in Nairobi should avoid the vicinity of Uhuru Park, the venue of choice for political demonstrations and rallies.

For the near future, intermittent 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.