Johannesburg

Sunday

More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.

16°C
28°C

7 day forecasts

Tourists warned about Kenya

2008-01-01 17:00

London - Foreign tourists were warned on Monday to avoid non-essential travel to Kenya amid deadly poll violence, while tour operators called off local excursions for travellers already there, officials said.

Britain and the United States joined a clutch of European governments advising their nationals not to visit troubled parts of the east African country, following clashes which have left at least 162 dead since disputed presidential elections on Thursday.

"Sporadic incidents of violence have taken place in urban centres. There is an increased risk of violence in urban centres. You should stay indoors and seek advice locally before travelling," said Britain's Foreign Office.

And the US State Department warned: "US citizens should strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time. The situation in Kenya is volatile and subject to change."

Growing concern

Austria, Denmark, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden all warned their citizens against unnecessary travel to Kenya, as opposition candidate Raila Odinga rejected President Mwai Kibaki's re-election victory.

Britain specifically advised against "all but essential travel" to Nairobi city centre, as well as Kisumu, Kakamega, Kericho, Eldoret and the Kisauni area of Nyali district in Mombasa, and Likoni and Tiwi areas south of Mombasa.

In a sign of growing concern, French travel firms Nouvelles Frontieres and Kuoni France announced they were suspending flights to Kenya until further notice, including a flight on Tuesday evening from Paris to Nairobi.

In Germany, travel giant TUI said its next departures for Kenya were not planned until Wednesday. "We are waiting to see how the situation develops tomorrow to decide on whether we maintain them," said spokesperson Mario Koepers.

"For the moment we have cancelled excursions for tourists on holiday on the beaches in Kenya, and pulled Nairobi as a stopover for safari tours," he said.

Dutch tourism industry sources reported no immediate sign of people cancelling holidays, saying holidaymakers were being advised if necessary to keep away from dangerous urban centres.

Around 10 000 Britons are in Kenya at present, nearly all either on safari or staying in beach resorts close to Mombasa.

Sweden underlined the risk in particular for travellers not going with tour operators. "These independent travellers (should) perhaps plan to postpone their trip," said its foreign ministry.

- AFP

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 16-23°C Sprinkles early. Morning clouds. Mild. Pta: 18-30°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 16-28°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 17-31°C More sun than clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-24°C A few showers. Partly sunny. Mild. PE: 16-25°C Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER

Gauteng
The Personnel Concept

Systems Administrator

Western Cape
Quiglies Solutions

Data Analyst

Gauteng - Johannesburg
Quiglies Solutions

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2009 Audi A3 2.0 T Sportback Manual - 24000kms
Lava Grey & Tan leather interior
R 275 000

AUDI

A4 1.8T FSi Attraction MY09 8-sp Multitronic
2009
R 310,000.00

FORD

Bantam 1.3i PU MY09
2007
R 59,990.00

FORD

Fiesta 1.4 Base 5-dr MY06
2008
R 94,990.00

Property - Find a new home

BLOUBERGSTRAND

Multiple Unit R1,695,000

MIDSTREAM ESTATE

Single Residential R3,800,000

PLETTENBERG BAY

Single Residential R10,000,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Luxury bush escape

Book a five-star stay at Pumba Game Lodge or Richard Branson's Ulusaba Safari Lodge and save R2 000. More details!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Up to 30% off Books

Ends midnight, 30 November

2.3 million titles on sale! New Stieg Larsson, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Oliver & more!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!