Kenya Travel warning

Terrorist Attack In Kenya

After the appalling terrorist attack in Kenya on the Garissa University, Travelinsure have issued a Kenya travel warning, heeding the latest advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FC0) for travel to certain areas of Kenya. Garissa, situated in the North Eastern Province around 200 km from the border with Somalia, was considered as “one of the safest spots in the region” before the latest attack.

Kenya Travel Warning

Travelinsure have issued a Kenya travel warning that you should please be aware that you will not be covered for some of your travel insurance policy schedule of benefits such as Kidnap and wrongful detention, if you travel to a region or country where a travel warning has been issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We advise that you consult their website before you travel abroad in the foreign travel advice section.

The FCO have issued Travel warnings issued for the following areas in Kenya:

•  Within 60km of the Kenya-Somali border
• Garissa County where the latest University attack took place.
• The Eastleigh area of Nairobi where there have been some grenade, bomb and armed attacks. Specifically a market in Eastleigh was bombed and more attacks are likely.

The FCO now advise against all but essential travel to within 15km of the coast from the Tana River down to and including Tiwi; this area includes Mombasa Island, Moi International Airport (including transit through the airport), Malindi, Kilifi and Watamu.

If you’re currently in an area to which the FCO advise against all but essential travel, you should consider whether you have an essential reason to remain. If you do not, you should leave the area.

The reason that this advice is so relevant is because of the large threat from terrorism, including kidnapping. Extremists linked to Al Shabaab, in Somalia are considered the main threat.

Travelinsure is once again alarmed to note that the media reporting of the Kenyan atrocities are so often reported under the General heading of atrocities in Africa including such respected news organizations such as the BBC. This has a negative affect on our local travel industry where many people do not understand that a threat in Kenya is very remote from any danger in South Africa. A similar perception was created by the reporting of the ebola virus in Africa, rather than in isolated countries of Africa. We appeal to international media to be much more specific in their reporting of Africa.

As a final word, Travelinsure would like to express our condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the latest heinous attack in Kenya.

Our Africa, Asia, Indian Ocean & Middle East travel insurance is suitable if you travel to Kenya.