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Kenya Travel Warning and East Africa Public Announcement
Thursday, May 22, 2003
Kenya Travel Warning and East Africa Public Announcement
Wildland Adventures Response to Kenya Travel Warning and East Africa Public Announcement
On Wednesday, May 14 the U.S. State Department issued a general Public Announcement about security concerns in East Africa, and then on Friday, May 16, they issued a Travel Warning urging Americans to reconsider non-essential travel to Kenya. The warning indicated that terrorists may be targeting resorts, hotels, and commercial aircraft in Kenya. Britain and Australia issued similar warnings and British Air suspended their flights to and from Kenya. On Wednesday, May 21, less than a week later, British Air has subsequently announced that they plan to resume flights into Nairobi on June 1.
After reviewing general press, travel industry news and consulting with our colleagues in East Africa, we have concluded that, although the threats are presumably real and pose some concern for safety, they are not unlike our own upgraded Orange Alert here at home. Although the threats against tourism and commercial aircraft are specific, the strong reaction by western governments is also in part due to the uncharacteristically open public announcement by the new reformed Kenyan government to share their enhanced intelligence capabilities with the public. On Wednesday, May 14, Kenya Internal Security Minister, Dr Chris Murungaru, put Kenya security forces on high alert after intelligence sources indicated that terrorists were targeting Kenya. The minister released a picture of a suspected Al Qaeda terrorist identified as Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who was said to be in Kenya.
The Kenyan public and tourism industry supports its governments enhanced intelligence and security to expose terrorism threats in order to protect its citizens and tourists. What makes them so upset is the reaction by British, American and Australian governments to recommend avoidance of non-essential travel. Kenyans have reminded the outside world that terrorism is not confined to East Africa alone but must be fought by all governments and decent people of this world rather than giving the terrorists a moral victory by recommending cessation of non-essential travel.
Enhanced Public Security
According to a statement issued by the Government of Kenya the following security measures have been put in place in recent weeks:
- Establishment of a specialized anti-terrorist police unit working with international security agencies
- Heavy security over a radius of 5kms on flight approaches in Kenyan airspace
- Extra 24 hour security at all airports by the General Service Unit
- Establishment of a manned radar beacon near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
- Deployment of anti-terrorist police at key installations including airports, resorts, hotels, etc
- Negotiations are underway for technical assistance to upgrade airport security
These actions demonstrate the commitment of the Government of Kenya to fight terrorism and protect the safety and security of its citizens and visitors.
Furthermore, our safari outfitters, drivers and guides not only offer superior service but have always been proactive in matters concerning the safety of our clients. Annual training exercises ensure they are educated naturalists, experienced group leaders, and are well-informed on health and safety concerns. As usual per our more personalized, small group Wild-style of travel, we do not recommend using known, established western hotels in urban centers. And when out on safari in the bush or in native communities, guests can feel safe and at peace in nature with local hosts.
All vehicles on Wildland Adventures in East Africa are equipped with long-range 2-way HF radio communication systems that are linked to headquarter offices in Nairobi or Arusha and the security channels of the Kenya Tourism Federation and Kenya Wildlife Service - all operated on 24 hour basis. Besides this, most driver/guides carry cell phones for added communication convenience and reliability.
Air Travel to Kenya
We primarily use KLM Airlines to East Africa. Although British Airways [BA] has temporarily ceased flights to Kenya (until June 1), other leading carriers have confirmed that they will be continuing to fly to Nairobi. The national airline, Kenya Airways, is increasing flights into Nairobi to make up for those that have been withdrawn. All passengers booked to travel to or from Kenya on BA flights can still complete their journey in spite of the ban. BA passengers will be transferred to Kenya Air flights out of Heathrow, or they are flying BA to Entebbe, Uganda with connections on Kenya Air to Nairobi.
Your Alternative Courses Of Action
It has been our policy to cancel or postpone travel arrangements to a particular destination when the US State Department issues a Travel Warning (as opposed to a lower status Public Announcement). In the past, when an official Travel Warning was issued it was usually tied to a specific event that had already occurred (coup or bombing), or a series of ongoing events (guerilla warfare, social unease or protests, etc). Such cases were more definitive and therefore could be scrutinized and evaluated as to a travelers risk based on precisely when and where they were traveling.
Today, however, unpredictable international random acts of terrorism and indeterminate secret intelligence information make it more difficult for tour companies and travelers to weigh the relative risk of travel. We will continue to share information from a variety of sources about local situations as worldwide events unfold to help our travelers make their own informed decisions. Individual travelers have to decide for themselves how to heed the travel advice of our government. We do not have access to the intelligence of our government and cannot second-guess the reliability of their information. Therefore, in the foremost interest of your safety and ease of mind, when the U.S. State Department issues a Travel Warning against non-essential travel we will not charge any fee to postpone/re-book your trip to a later date. Or, if you decide to cancel altogether, we will refund all payments held by Wildland Adventures for your trip and waive our cancellation fee.
Most if not all of your trip payments (excluding international airfare) are held in our Client Trust Account until approximately 30 days before departure at which time Wildland Adventures pays overseas suppliers for trip services in advance of your arrival. In some cases, it is necessary to forward trip deposits/payments to local suppliers further in advance to hold your space in which case your funds will be subject to their cancellation terms. In most cases, when the State Department has issued an official Travel Warning to defer non-essential travel, we can at least change your trip dates at no cost, if not secure a full refund should you decide to cancel altogether. If we have issued your airline tickets, we will work with the airline ticketing agent to avoid or minimize any cancellation or change fees, but this is entirely up to the discretion of the airline and you shouldnt expect much sympathy from an airline except for extraordinary circumstances.
Selected Media Sources:
The Nation (The English-language Daily of Kenya) http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation
/18052003/News /News1805200340.html
E-Turbo News (Global Travel Trade News) http://www.eturbonews.com/
