Kenya needs tourists!
 

I'm in Nairobi now and I can truthfully say that the news headlines coming out of Kenya are absolute nonsense. I haven't seen any problems and all the people I speak to are bewildered by the scenes they see on the BBC and CNN. Yes they had an election problem (kind of like Bush-Gore) and yes there is some violence in the slums, but not a single tourist or foreign businessman has been involved. I walked around the downtown today and didn't see any problems.

However I do see a lot of depressed people who have been laid off due to the US and Europe declaring Kenya as "unsafe". When in reality Nairobi is safer than most any US or European city. If you have a vacation planned here, please don't cancel and if you are looking for someplace interesting to visit, now is the best time! No crowds!

Odinga purportedly won the election with an 8% win margin (according to exit polls) - so I wouldn't compare it to Gore-Bush. Besides - Nairobi is not nearly as safe as any European or US city - violent crime is a common occurance. Something most expats will confirm.

Please continue to follow this thread in the FT Africa Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Now I fully agree that things are probably not as dire as they have portrayed in the media and I do have a need to overnight in Nairobi in late March, but Nairobi is not a "safe" city my any stretch of the imagination, even before the post election violence.

I harbour no false pretenses that Nairobi is safer than a US or European city. However, I have reservations for a safari in August and am still planning to go. We will spend 2 days in Nairobi (either end of the safari) and will be in the game parks the rest of the time.

I can't wait. It's been a years' long dream to go on safari and I finally earned enough miles to go with a friend in J

I was supposed to attend a conference in Nairobi slated for next week but the local organisers have requested to postpone the event due to "ongoing political disturbances".

Kinda hard to support the local economy when even the locals are telling you not to go there....

I am sure that the "local organizers" are postponing purely because many foreigners have canceled their trip out of fear. Not because of any violence in Nairobi, because there is no violence in the city.

The CBD is completely calm at this moment. That was the point I was making in relation to US cities where at almost any time there is a crime of some sort taking place. Yes there is some crime here at normal times as there is in any city. But none at all right now.

I guess police firing live rounds into crowds in the slums doesn't qualify?

If that's the guideline I guess you could also tell everyone NOT to go to Rio.

I'm going to NBO in 3 weeks
 

I will be flying out on Feb. 8 for a two-week trip to Kenya and Tanzania. We have 4 nights scheduled at the Serena Hotel.

To the OP - the US State Dept. advised recently against going to the vicinity of Uhuru Park as that is a site of some (at least attempted) protests. The Serena is across the street from Uhuru Park.

Have you been to that area and has it been calm there since you've been in NBO?

Um, no. The slums don't qualify for anything. That's why they are slums. The honest hard working people of Nairobi (and other cities in Kenya) don't want anything to do with the hoodlums in the slums or their violence. They want peace and stability. And thankfully they have it in the main areas of Nairobi. Hopefully the whole country will move to stability soon.

My hotel, the IC, is across the street from Uhuru park and looking out my 5th floor window I have seen no problems. The police have prevented the demonstrators from congregating there.

The ODM group had planned for demonstrations in the park which is why the State Dept advised to stay clear of there. But there have been no demonstrations there and there will not be during this period. The government is quite serious about that. Downtown is calm and it will stay that way.

I was in Nairobi over the Christmas and left a few days after the election (my scheduled time - I didn't leave early), I had a good time there and hope to go again later this year. I was luck enough to pay for my stay with the IC points break promotion and even managed a mileage redemption on KQ.

How busy is the IC now? It seemed very quiet when I was there both in their bars and restaurants - I'm not sure if that was the hotel was not busy or everyone spent their time out of the hotel. Oddly enough the only busy night in the hotel was the karaoke night, you couldn't get into the bar that night as it was so busy! :rolleyes:

The hotel was quite empty when I got here several days ago, but it is getting better now. This hotels caters to both tourists and businesspeople and the business people are mostly here. Not so many tourists. The purely tourist hotels in Kenya are really suffering.

Also the flight crews aren't hear anymore. Normally you have BA, KL and Martinair crews in the hotel. Now it is only Martinair since BA and KL are apparently flying on to Tanzania (or so I've heard). I'm not sure if that is a seasonal thing?

Tuesday Karaoke night is legendary here! Has been for years. Friday Salsa night is pretty popular too. I expect this coming Tuesday to be busy in the Safari bar.

Any updates? I just read a news story about Nakuru/Naivasha that is very concerning.