Kenya - Should You Still Go?

The past 10 days in Kenya have been marred by post-election violence. Six hundred people are dead and more than 200,000 people have been displaced. There's an uneasy peace right now as opposition members are deciding on whether to hold rallies or not. The areas affected are mostly Kisumu and Eldoret, which are relatively far away from the major tourist hotspots. But there have been reports of the major airports in Nairobi and Mombasa closing for some periods and there's been a significant upsurge in violence in Nairobi and parts of Mombasa as well.

The UK Foreign Office and the US State Department have advised citizens not to travel to Kenya. Yet some tour operators are still saying it's safe since the transfers from the main airports to lodges and hotels have been unaffected for the most part, and popular game parks like the Masai Mara, are far away from cities. Naturally, tour operators have a financial stake in saying "all is well". And in fact Kenya has been on the US State Department's travel warning list for years, since the Embassy Bombings in 1998 and further bombings in Mombasa in 2002. This hasn't stopped a lot of people from visiting the country (just like people are still visiting New York).

So, if you've booked your dream safari and are wondering whether to cancel or not, who should you believe? I think it depends on the individual. A holiday is not worth dying for nor is it going to be much fun if you're afraid. I would suggest you wait a few weeks before embarking on your holiday to Kenya, unless you have good information that tells you that you're truly safe, from sources other than your tour operator. British tour companies are currently advising people wait until Monday (Jan 14) to travel.

It looks like the situation is beginning to stabilize and it would be a shame to kill Kenya's main source of income (tourism) based on fear of what may happen. If you have a trip booked for next month or later, then there's no reason to cancel just yet.

Further Reading:
Kenya's In Depth Election Crisis from the BBC
US Embassy in Nairobi (which is issuing regular security updates)
Kenya Travel Blogs (read blogs from travelers who are there right now)