28th February 2008 : POLITICAL UPDATE:

Today was a momentous occasion in Kenya’s history as the news flashed around the world that an agreement had been signed between the two Kenyan political leaders, President Kibaki and Hon Odinga, to end the political impasse following the disputed elections two months ago and to restore peace and harmony to the country.
The agreement was the result of a five-hour meeting today attended by President Kikwete of Tanzania who is the current Chairman of the African Union, and Mr Kofi Annan who has performed the role of mediator, with the participation of both President Kibaki and Hon Raila Odinga.
At a press conference called this afternoon in Nairobi following the successful conclusion of the meeting, Kofi Annan announced that a power-sharing agreement had been achieved. The political settlement agreed upon by both party leaders has created the new post of Prime Minister, to be held by Raila Odinga, with a coalition government of the two main parties in which cabinet posts would be shared between them. Parliament will convene next Thursday to pass a constitutional amendment to approve the changes agreed upon.
Speaking after the signing of the agreement, President Kibaki said, "As a nation there are more issues that unite than divide us. We've been reminded we must do all in our power to safeguard the peace that is the foundation of our national unity. Kenya has room for all of us if we can enhance peace and tolerance. Fellow Kenyans, we stand before you to give a solemn commitment."
Raila Odinga thanked Kofi Annan for his role in achieving the historic agreement. He also recognised Mr Kibaki as President. He stated that although they had been competitors during the elections they were now fellow countrymen.  "In the past two months, Kenyans have known nothing but sadness," he said. "We have now opened a new chapter in our history, from the era of confrontation to the beginning of cooperation. We should ensure that Kenyans begin to celebrate and love each other, that we destroy the monster that is called ethnicity. I will ensure that what we have developed today will succeed."
The power-sharing agreement at last brings the two opposing sides together in a coalition government on terms agreeable to all and has provided the political solution which had been sought to allow the country to recover from the trauma and civil unrest which followed the announcement of the election results.
Kenyans throughout the country were celebrating this evening and hopes are high that this will restore Kenya to its position as one of the most stable and successful countries in Africa. All the indications are that the overwhelming majority of Kenyans are delighted to see an end to the political stalemate and tension. The feeling of relief was evident among people everywhere and for the first time in weeks optimism was high as many Kenyans expressed their hopes for a better future.

SECURITY SITUATION IN KENYA:

The security situation throughout Kenya was calm and peaceful in all areas with a mood of relief and celebration following the announcement of the power-sharing agreement.

15th February 2008: Update:
The situation in all parts of Kenya is now calm with no reported unrest for many days now - only parts of western Rift Valley may experience some political tension as an aftermath of the violence but there is NO UNREST in any of these areas and infact efforts are underway to resettle those displaced by the violence. On the mediation front, it is expected that the Kofi Anaan team will announce an outcome in the coming week which will lead to resolution of the disputed issues.

Tourists are slowly but surely returning to Kenya and we are now receiving safari bookings for clients in February with high interest for the migration peak season from July to October 08.
All leading national parks and tourist locations are safe eg Masai Mara and clients can now even go by road. We are however still maintaining raised alerts for Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru areas and for the sake of additional safety are still NOT recommending trips to parts of western Rift Valley.

The main parks which are completely safe for travel are Masai Mara, Samburu, Tsavo West and Tsavo East, Amboseli and Meru - all parts of Central Kenya including Lasikipia are also safe for travel.

08th FEBRUARY 2008: Update: The Kofi Anaan led team has today announced that there has been significant progress on talks between the two mediating parties on important issues. This indicates that a political solution may well be close. On the security front, Kenya is now virtually free on unrest and the situation is normal even in parts of Rift Valley where the unrest had occured. Please see a detailed KTF tourism update below:

KENYA TOURISM FEDERATION DAILY SECURITY UPDATES 

Friday 8th February 2008 6 p.m. 

POLITICAL UPDATE:

The mediation talks between the government and opposition continued today under the Chairmanship of Kofi Annan as mediator, with reports that significant progress towards a settlement has now been made, with agreement reached on the broad principles of a possible solution. Kofi Annan told reporters, "We are all agreed that a political settlement is needed, that a political settlement is necessary and we are working out the details of such a settlement." 

SECURITY SITUATION IN KENYA:

The security situation throughout Kenya was again reported to be calm in all areas and for the third consecutive day no reports were received of post-election violence anywhere in the country. 

In the tourist areas all is calm and unchanged with no problems reported affecting any tourist visitors to the international hotels in Nairobi, the beach resorts at the coast and the wildlife parks and reserves. 

Mombasa and the coast: Mombasa town continues to be calm and it is generally peaceful throughout the coast province.  The British government recently lifted its advisory against travel to Mombasa town in view of the improved security situation.

 The route to the Mara past Narok town continues to be used by tourist vehicles without any problems reported. The Senior Warden for Masai Mara National Reserve has also confirmed that security patrols have been put in place both on the approach to and exit from Narok town as an additional measure to ensure the safety of tourists.

 

Naivasha and Nakuru: Tourist vehicles continue travelling to Lake Naivasha, through Naivasha town and onwards to Lake Nakuru National Park without experiencing any problems as the security situation on the main highways through these towns is now reported to be back to normal. The freight and transport companies also report that their lorries have been driving through Naivasha and Nakuru without encountering problems and continuing on to Uganda. 

Areas to avoid

The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to monitor the security situation to ensure that any areas considered unsafe for tourists are avoided. While the beach resorts, the safari circuit, the airports in Nairobi and the highways between them to the Nairobi international hotels are considered safe for visitors at the present time, the following areas continue to be off-limits for tourists until further notice:

Western Kenya: The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to recommend that for the time being visitors should avoid the following areas where there have been sporadic incidents of civil unrest in recent weeks: Nyanza Province, Western Province, and the western area of Rift Valley Province including roads to the north of Narok to Bomet, Sotik and Njoro, the areas surrounding Kericho, Molo, Londiani, Nandi Hills and Eldoret. These places are not normally visited by tourists and members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators have avoided the whole area since the onset of the post-election problems. Currently the situation in most of these places is reported to be calm but in recent weeks there have been frequent disturbances and civil unrest in Kisumu and in the areas around Kericho and Eldoret.

For visitors to Nairobi it is recommended that the high density housing estates and slums should be avoided, including Eastleigh, Mathare, Huruma, and Kibera but tourists have always been advised to keep away from these areas.  

TOURISM NEWS:

Cruise ships are again calling at Mombasa after an absence during the past month owing to concerns caused by the post-election crisis, with the Silverseas cruise ship arriving this week, bringing over 200 tourists who went on safaris to Tsavo, Amboseli and the Mara.
In the community-owned Ol Choro Oirogua Conservancy in the Mara, a new-born rhino calf was promptly given the name “Kofi Annan” by rangers in recognition of the role being played by the former UN Secretary General. 

Jake Grieves-Cook
Spokesman -Kenya Tourism Federation

27th January 2008: Update: Due to the recent unrest in Nakuru and Naivasha regions, we are not offering any safaris to Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha or by extension, to all areas in Western Rift Valley such as Lake Baringo. For Masai Mara we are going to offer clients only air safaris which includes a flight from Nairobi directly into Masai Mara. We are also offering normal road safaris to Amboseli, Samburu and Tsavo where there are no incidents of disruption or unrest.

10th January 2008: The events following the recent elections of 27th Dec 2007 have resulted in a spate of election riots and violence which has been widely covered by the international media. There has been tragic loss of life and some communities have been displaced. However the violence has stopped by and large as leaders seek to mediate and look for solutions to the political problems. However, we wish to bring the following points to the attention of anyone thinking of visiting Kenya:

1. The unrest has been limited to certain parts of Nairobi, and to smaller upcountry towns such as Eldoret.

2. To our knowledge, there have been no tourist related incidents ie no tourist has been injured or attacked during the unrest as the cause of unrest is basically political.

3. Most safari locations such as Masai Mara, Amboseli etc are unaffected by the unrest and in any case are isolated and unpopulated thereby being insulated from the unrest.

4. Access from the main airports to hotels and main roads in Nairobi to Mombasa has been open, safe and well protected by the authorities.

5. There is widespread expectation that the opposing parties will come to some agreement and that involvement of major international powers will lead to resolution of the current situation.

6. Kenya is host to several international organisations including the UN, numerous embassies and international hotel chains - during the height of the crisis, all hotels were operating and many thousands of tourists were still on holiday in Kenya, and left without incident.

7. Additional security precautions have been put in place by all responsible tour operators, in the small event that we need such additional security. In case of any additional serious unrest, we will ourselves advise clients not to visit Kenya, but for now the situation is calm and tourists need not cancel their trips to Kenya.

8. For those who wish to enjoy a safari, but will not consider coming to Kenya, do have a look at our Tanzania Safari and Uganda safaris as well as holidays in Zanzibar.

Hope to see you in sunny East Africa !

You may contact us in case you need any further information.