Kenya Frustration

I am supposed to be taking about 30 high school students and staff to Kenya this summer to work with people suffering with AIDS or affected by others suffering with AIDS. Our team and their parents are having our first formal meeting this Sunday, but then the US Government just issued this Travel Advisory. It's pretty serious.

February 06, 2007

This Travel Warning is being issued to remind American citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to Kenya at this time due to ongoing safety and security concerns. This supersedes the Travel Warning of August 10, 2006.

The Department continues to recommend that private American citizens in Kenya evaluate their personal security situation in light of continuing terrorist threats and increasing incidents of violent crime. Terrorist acts may include suicide operations, bombings, attacks on civil aviation, and attacks on maritime vessels in or near Kenyan ports. Violent criminal attacks, including armed carjacking and home invasions/burglary, can occur at any time and in any location, and are becoming increasingly frequent, brazen, vicious, and often fatal. In January 2007, two family members of a U.S. Embassy employee were killed by armed carjackers. Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to deter and investigate such acts.

U.S. citizens should be aware of the risk of indiscriminate and random attacks on civilian targets in public places, including tourist sites and locations where foreigners are known to congregate, as well as commercial operations associated with U.S. or other foreign interests.

American citizens in Kenya should remain vigilant, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as clubs, hotels, resorts, upscale shopping centers, restaurants, and places of worship. Americans should also remain vigilant in residential areas, schools, and at outdoor recreational events, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds.

Americans who travel to or reside in Kenya despite this Travel Warning are encouraged to register through the State Department.

Our Missions Ministry at church doesn't want us to go there and I don't think it's a great idea either, but I'm not sure if I should have more faith or patience. The organization we are going with, Christ's Hope, has ministry sites in other countries such as Namibia and Zimbabwe so we will probably be able to transfer the trip to another site. But this is all a big bummer.