Nairobi-Kennedy's report
Jan 1st, 2008, 06:53 AM
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Nairobi-Kennedy's report
Some of you may know Kennedy Muthoka, a guide who has been highly recommended by some of you. My husband and I have arranged a day tour with him in Nairobi for 1/12/08 before joining our tour in Arusha the next day. I emailed him yesterday to get his input on what is going on and our prospects for going to Nairobi in 9 days and I am posting his response. It is quite different from what we are reading about and seeing on CNN, more of a business as usual approach. He plans to email again and I know we are all most appreciative.
If anyone has information from people in Nairobi preferable those in tourism, please post it.
Ilene
Dear Cashman,
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
We are fine in Nairobi despite the last three days of rioting in various
parts of our wonderful country..What a shame really !!
But all in all, We have had three Safari departures since 29th Dec, one
picking from Nairobi and departing for lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara, the
driver arrived without any threat or any scare. He is still in Maasai Mara
and coming to drop clients tomorrow 02 Jan 08. The other Safari departure
was on 31st Dec, this was going towards the Northern Kenya Samburu/shaba
National Game reserve ,he arrived well with no problems at all.
The third driver picked some British clients this morning 1st Jan at
Norfork Hotel at the city centre and departed for Aberdare /Mt. Kenya
region .He has arrived well with nothing volatile on the road to report.
Most of the violence is concentrated on the Rift Valley,the Coast and
western Kenya which heavily voted against the Government and feel cheated
after the rather strange way in which the elections where conducted !
The rest of the tension is within the towns majorly in the Slums where the
idle fallible tribal grouping have something to do !! I tell you,any
person with some job to do has no time for getting involved in this thing
,as much as we are really not happy with what has happened in the
declaration of the election results !!
As I write this,Tour vans are going to the Airport,pick their clients,drop
them at City Hotels e.g Hilton, The Stanley ,The Norfork,Intercontinental
Hotel and the next day,pick them up and depart for the planned
Safari.Ideally,this is not a tourist issue,its at least some two tribes
against one another .Of course,what we fear is being caught in some
skirmishes but NOT being a target which is the case in some countries
elsewhere !!
I thought it would be better to write as I have done rather than telling
you to come or not come without giving you an indication on the ground
.With this,you can be in a good position to get yourself a clear thought
on which direction to send your decision.
What is happening is that,no groups are being accepted in the city at
all,therefore the possibility of having skirmishes right in the centre of
town is very remote.Tension can happen in the residential slums as the
people are living next to each other day in day out and this closeness
tends to raise tribal temperatures.
By having the city so clear,this goes well for tourists to feel secure as
there is no noise to scare them or feel threatened.On the other hand,the
residents like me are suffering because truly I need to get to the town
centre to meet my clients and conduct other business enroute to our
offices etc,but if am in a Tour van,then the police do understand -not in
a personal car !!
By the time you depart on the 10th Jan, things will have changed alot-We
pray -for the better as the losers are also absorbing the shock of losing
and seeing the negative results of getting involved in the riots. The
police has short dead some looters as an indication of the consequences of
participating in the riots -It's sad !!
Well....I will write to you again ,say tomorrow to keep updating you with
my personal honest reporting as opposed to some of this international
media reports which may have some interest on the kind of reporting they
do.
I choose to tell my very many clients who are writing to me the truth on
the ground so that I can enable them make an informed decision.
Am sorry this situation has come at a time you want to travel,but for
others,it happened when they where here and they are still moving on with
their Safari circuit uninterrupted at least till now when things seem
better than they where !! No client has yet canceled any Tour/Safari
program-at least not as for now.
Kindly assist me by letting me know what is being reported and I can as
well have an idea on what is getting to you and if it is really reflecting
what is on the ground.
If anyone has information from people in Nairobi preferable those in tourism, please post it.
Ilene
Dear Cashman,
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
We are fine in Nairobi despite the last three days of rioting in various
parts of our wonderful country..What a shame really !!
But all in all, We have had three Safari departures since 29th Dec, one
picking from Nairobi and departing for lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara, the
driver arrived without any threat or any scare. He is still in Maasai Mara
and coming to drop clients tomorrow 02 Jan 08. The other Safari departure
was on 31st Dec, this was going towards the Northern Kenya Samburu/shaba
National Game reserve ,he arrived well with no problems at all.
The third driver picked some British clients this morning 1st Jan at
Norfork Hotel at the city centre and departed for Aberdare /Mt. Kenya
region .He has arrived well with nothing volatile on the road to report.
Most of the violence is concentrated on the Rift Valley,the Coast and
western Kenya which heavily voted against the Government and feel cheated
after the rather strange way in which the elections where conducted !
The rest of the tension is within the towns majorly in the Slums where the
idle fallible tribal grouping have something to do !! I tell you,any
person with some job to do has no time for getting involved in this thing
,as much as we are really not happy with what has happened in the
declaration of the election results !!
As I write this,Tour vans are going to the Airport,pick their clients,drop
them at City Hotels e.g Hilton, The Stanley ,The Norfork,Intercontinental
Hotel and the next day,pick them up and depart for the planned
Safari.Ideally,this is not a tourist issue,its at least some two tribes
against one another .Of course,what we fear is being caught in some
skirmishes but NOT being a target which is the case in some countries
elsewhere !!
I thought it would be better to write as I have done rather than telling
you to come or not come without giving you an indication on the ground
.With this,you can be in a good position to get yourself a clear thought
on which direction to send your decision.
What is happening is that,no groups are being accepted in the city at
all,therefore the possibility of having skirmishes right in the centre of
town is very remote.Tension can happen in the residential slums as the
people are living next to each other day in day out and this closeness
tends to raise tribal temperatures.
By having the city so clear,this goes well for tourists to feel secure as
there is no noise to scare them or feel threatened.On the other hand,the
residents like me are suffering because truly I need to get to the town
centre to meet my clients and conduct other business enroute to our
offices etc,but if am in a Tour van,then the police do understand -not in
a personal car !!
By the time you depart on the 10th Jan, things will have changed alot-We
pray -for the better as the losers are also absorbing the shock of losing
and seeing the negative results of getting involved in the riots. The
police has short dead some looters as an indication of the consequences of
participating in the riots -It's sad !!
Well....I will write to you again ,say tomorrow to keep updating you with
my personal honest reporting as opposed to some of this international
media reports which may have some interest on the kind of reporting they
do.
I choose to tell my very many clients who are writing to me the truth on
the ground so that I can enable them make an informed decision.
Am sorry this situation has come at a time you want to travel,but for
others,it happened when they where here and they are still moving on with
their Safari circuit uninterrupted at least till now when things seem
better than they where !! No client has yet canceled any Tour/Safari
program-at least not as for now.
Kindly assist me by letting me know what is being reported and I can as
well have an idea on what is getting to you and if it is really reflecting
what is on the ground.
