Violence in Nairobi, Kenya Has This Dad Worried

[oregonpackfan]

Latest reports have over 250 people dead in election-related violence in Nairobi, Kenya. Many residents are furious that President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner Sunday of the country's election. There is widespread evidence of ballot rigging.

The reason this concerns me as a father is that my 19 year old college sophomore is supposed to leave Jan. 7th for 5 weeks in Tanzania. Her plane is supposed to land in Nairobi, Kenya--right where the violence is at its peak.

My daughter is part of a group of 20 education students from Pacific Lutheran University(she is an Elementary Ed. major) to visit and study the school systems in Tanzania.

Part of the trip will include spending 4 days hiking up and down Mt. Kilamanjaro, the highest mountain peak in Africa. She has been training for this hike since the summer.

Before she left for school this morning, she and I went for a 4 mile run on a hilly course. I was proud of the way she attacked both of the steep hills on our route leaving me in her wake!

Because of my advancing age and declining running skills, my hill attacking skill is limited to huffing and puffing "waddling."

Anyway, I can't help but be very concerned about she and her classmates entering a very volatile part of the world right now.

Do any of you world travelers have experience with Nairobi?

[Freak Out]

Two weeks ago I would have been more worried about the Climb than Nairobi having been there twice.....but now you need to pay close attention to where your at and where your heading. People are pissed and the situation is probably going to get worse before it gets better. How long are they going to be in the city? There is no reason for tourists to be targeted other than the normal scams and thievery.....but the government troops have been given some tough orders in regards to how they need to crack down and restore order. Monitor the situation closely....
Did they get insurance to cover the travel costs if they have to cancel for any reason?

[Scott Campbell]

Good luck with this OPF. It looks like a very difficult situation.

[Badgerinmaine]

I don't blame you for being concerned, and there's been violence there before--terrorists blew up the American Embassy a few years back.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much. PLU's a very reputable school--one of my best friends and his wife are alums--and take it from someone's who's a college prof: PLU almost certainly will be watching things very closely and will pull the plug on the trip if they think it's too risky. There are many cases where colleges have done so. Heck, I was one of the AAA School Safety Patrol kids who got to go to Washington, DC back...okay, back in 1975, when I was 12 (geezer alert) and they told us that in 1968, they thought Washington, DC was too dangerous to go to (that was a year of extensive rioting in big American cities), so they took the kids to Springfield, Illinois instead to see the Lincoln stuff there.

The other reason I wouldn't worry so much is that the cause of the anger isn't the US. Unless people get the idea Americans were involved, there won't be much reason for your daughter to be a target. Still, I can't blame you one bit for being concerned. It's the sensible (and parental!) reaction. I'll say a prayer for all of you and the people in Kenya.

[Kiwon]

Re: Violence in Nairobi, Kenya Has This Dad Worried

Do any of you world travelers have experience with Nairobi?

I have experience in both Nairobi and Tanzania. It's been several years but both are very stable and accomodating to tourists, etc. Both of these countries know that tourism is their lifeblood so the government won't allow things to get out of hand.

The rioting as I understand it is centered in the shanty towns and not in Nairobi proper. The election was corrupt which is par for the course in Africa and I can understand the people's frustrations. At the heart of it is still tribal tensions.

Your daughter will be fine. The Tanzanians are especially hospitable. She should be prepared for some begging in Tanzania and the agressive street vendors of Nairobi. Also, the reality is that if she spends any significant period of time in Tanzania that she runs the risk of contracting malaria (I know from personal experience) so the group should be taking anti-malarial medication now. A long-sleeve light jacket is a good idea to help with mosquitos at night.

However, she will have the time of her life. The kids are great. I wish I could go with the group. Sounds like a blast!

She better have several memory cards for her digital camera because she will be taking a lot of pictures over 5 weeks. Other than sickness, she should have nothing to worry about. Carrying hand sanitizer and toilet paper with her at all times is a good idea. The "bathrooms" may be men on one side of the road and women on the other. Get my drift?

[Deputy Nutz]

Re: Violence in Nairobi, Kenya Has This Dad Worried

Do any of you world travelers have experience with Nairobi?

I have experience in both Nairobi and Tanzania. It's been several years but both are very stable and accomodating to tourists, etc. Both of these countries know that tourism is their lifeblood so the government won't allow things to get out of hand.

The rioting as I understand it is centered in the shanty towns and not in Nairobi proper. The election was corrupt which is par for the course in Africa and I can understand the people's frustrations. At the heart of it is still tribal tensions.

Your daughter will be fine. The Tanzanians are especially hospitable. She should be prepared for some begging in Tanzania and the agressive street vendors of Nairobi. Also, the reality is that if she spends any significant period of time in Tanzania that she runs the risk of contracting malaria (I know from personal experience) so the group should be taking anti-malarial medication now. A long-sleeve light jacket is a good idea to help with mosquitos at night.

However, she will have the time of her life. The kids are great. I wish I could go with the group. Sounds like a blast!

She better have several memory cards for her digital camera because she will be taking a lot of pictures over 5 weeks. Other than sickness, she should have nothing to worry about. Carrying hand sanitizer and toilet paper with her at all times is a good idea. The "bathrooms" may be men on one side of the road and women on the other. Get my drift?

I see that you have a good understanding of the area, but what happens if he lets his daughter go on your advice and something happens?

[Badgerinmaine]

Not to scare you, OPF...but was this one of the stories you'd seen?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=HGD4HIXBL3ARNQFIQMGCFGGAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2008/01/01/wkenya201.xml

[oregonpackfan]

Not to scare you, OPF...but was this one of the stories you'd seen?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.../wkenya201.xml

B-Maine,

I did not read that particular article but read several articles similar to that one.

Thank you posters for your reassurance. It is true that most of the violence appears to be inter-tribal and related to the election rather than anger towards any country and/or foreigners. With mob violence, however, sometimes innocent bystanders can be victimized...

Kiwon did bring up a strong point that tourism is vital to the economies of both Kenya and Tanzania. They do not want tourists to suddenly avoid their respective countries.

As a parent, you always worry about your kids, be they 9 months, 9 years or 19 years old.

[Badgerinmaine]

Let us know how things come out, OPF.

[oregonpackfan]

Let us know how things come out, OPF.

Well folks, my daughter, 19 classmates, and 3 faculty members boarded a plane from Seattle last night for their eventual trip to Tanzania. The plane was headed for London. From their they will switch planes for Nairobi, Kenya.

Their initial plans were to take a bus from Nairobi to Tanzania. With advice from both the State Department and the Travel company, they decided to take a plane from the Nairobi Airport to Arusha(sp?), Tanzania.

Apparently, almost all of the violence in Kenya has been between political parties and/or tribal members--reportedly the parties and tribes are interconnected.

As her father, I am both proud of her adventurous, risk-taking, educational efforts and apprehensive at the same time. I now understand the phrase "Once a parent, always a parent" more fully.

[packinpatland]

I'm sure she's going to have the time of her life..........with the only regret being that she wished she'd taken more photos.
Will she be in a place that she'll be able to have internet access?

[GrnBay007]

I now understand the phrase "Once a parent, always a parent" more fully.

What a great and exciting experience.

[Freak Out]

They made the right decision.