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Britain lifts travel advisory on Nairobi's Eastleigh residential estate

Xinhua, April 24, 2017 Adjust font size:

The British government on Monday removed travel advice against travel to Nairobi's Eastleigh residential estate largely inhabited by ethnic Somali people of Kenyan origin.

The travel advisory against travelling to Eastleigh, also known as Little Mogadishu, has been in place for some time and has been devastating for foreign traders frequenting the area.

"The British government will, today, remove the travel advisory against all but essential travel to the Eastleigh area of Nairobi," the British embassy in Nairobi said in a statement.

"In addition, we will also make changes to the language and format of UK travel advice around the world, including, but not limited to, travel advice for Kenya," it said.

The embassy said following public consultation in the UK, the British government is amending the language used to describe the terrorist threat in countries and territories, to make it clearer, consistent and more specific.

"These changes are simply to format and language," the embassy said. "There is no change in the UK government's assessment of the level of threat from terrorism in Kenya."

It said Britons remain free to make their own decisions regarding travel based on the information available.

There are still some travel advisories in place for various areas in Kenya with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) still recommending against all but essential travel to areas within 60 km of the Kenya-Somali border, Garissa County; Lamu County (excluding Lamu Island and Manda Island); areas of Tana River County north of the Tana river itself; and within 15 km of the coast from the Tana river down to the Galana (Athi-Galana-Sabaki) river.

Among areas British tourists are allowed to visit are the Aberdare National Park, Amboseli, Laikipia, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Meru and Mount Kenya.

British tourists are also allowed to sample attractions in Samburu, Shimba Hills, and Tsavo as well as book reservations at beach resorts in Mombasa, Malindi, Kilifi, Watamu, and Diani.

Britain is concerned about terrorism threats, especially from extremists linked to al Shabaab, who are against the country's military operation in Somalia.

Early this year, Kenya asked Western countries to lift their advisories to their citizens against visiting Kenya, saying such advisories were unjustified, citing the reduction of terrorist attacks in the region. Endit