Britain wakes up to having to deal with the fallout their anti travel advisory caused to relations with Kenya

UK’S FOREIGN OFFICE TRYING TO MEND BROKEN FENCES

(Posted 22nd May 2014)

Clearly taken aback by the strength of public opinion and the fallout their unprecedented anti travel advisory last week caused to diplomatic relations with Kenya – the UK and their partners in crime were equating Kenya with a warzone not much different from Syria and were as a result in a departure from diplomatic norm and language told that they can F*** O** – has the FCO earlier today tried to mend broken fences by publishing another statement.

Tourism sources in Kenya were swift to denounce it as both feeble and as too late and too little to repair the damage to their industry, with initial estimates talking of a 5 billion Kenya Shillings damage to the sector, for now, and possibly still growing when all the odds and bobs have been added up.

Start quote:

Following the changes made to our travel advice on Wednesday 14 May we would like to clarify our position.

The UK has a responsibility to inform British citizens of the potential threats aimed at both Kenya and the international community. Our travel advice reflects solely our objective assessment of the security position. It is kept under constant review. The substantive change to our Travel Advice was to advise against all but essential travel to a specific part of the area around Mombasa, as follows:

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to Mombasa island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa creek in the north down to and including Tiwi in the south. This area does not include Diani or Moi international airport.

The British Government does not enforce its travel advice. It is for individuals and travel companies to make their own decisions about foreign travel advice and information available from other sources into account.

Our travel advice for Nairobi or any other part of the country has not changed. The British Government is not evacuating its citizens from Kenya. Some British tourists flew out of Mombasa last week on the advice of their tour company, following their decision to discontinue their charter flights to the area.

We recognise the impact of the terrorism on Kenya. The UK continues to be committed to working with Kenya to combat terrorism.

‘It might be technically correct that the FCO did not enforce the evacuations of British citizens from Mombasa but at the same time they did nothing to stop them. Hiding behind words will not absolve them from their responsibility and culpability of what they have done to Kenya’s tourism industry and to our country as a whole. In fact, the FCO is not telling the whole truth because a lot of tourists wanted to stay and were bullied into leaving by being told outrageous costs they would have to pay for one way tickets to get home because the tour operators would not provide a flight other than the evacuation flight that day. Some were literally chased off their sunbeds to go into their rooms and pack and hurry and the tour operators were willing accomplices in this schemeof the FCO to punish Kenya for ‘Choices have Consequences’. Professing friendship and support now is just like pouring more ice water over our heads. Do they honestly think we believe one word which comes out of London or Washington ever again?

We do want and warmly welcome tourists from Britain, France, the US and Australia but their governments are no friends of ours any longer. They made us look like a country at war like Syria or Afghanistan and there is no way this is so. Yes we had IED and grenade attacks, twelve to be precise, but all were aimed against our fellow Kenyans and not tourists. The advisory was phrased in a deviously bad way and showed the true face of what Britain thinks friendship is. With such friends, who needs enemies? ranted one regular source from the coast in clear anger and desperation as his hotel is now faced with closure after losing the regular prebooked clients from the UK.

Kenya’s tourism industry is reeling from the hammerblow of last week and todate remains stunned by the damage the FCO advisory caused, now seeking to strategize internally and nationally over the way forward of where to find the clients to make up for the loss of business inflicted on them by last week’s developments. Some hotels have already contacted travel agents in Uganda and Rwanda, spoken to airlines like Air Uganda, RwandAir and of course national carrier Kenya Airways to pool resources and offer spectacularly priced packages, including flight, transfers and accommodation to raise numbers from the region and other African countries which citizens are showing a greater resilience towards sporadic incidents compared to officials in White Hall and Foggy Bottom.

This correspondent in fact has received a handful of sharpish mails questioning his motive for the way several articles in support of Kenya were written, suggesting it was him who had a hidden agenda rather than them and showing the senders the contempt they deserve none was responded to.

My advice to the FCO and their diplomats, get used to eating humble pie without gravy for some time to come as Kenya, and her friends, will not forget for a long time and certainly not forgive and hiding behind diplomatic immunity and statements like the one shown above only makes the entire affair even more cowardly. Shame on You!