BRITAIN’S ANTI TRAVEL ADVISORIES CLAIM MORE VICTIMS
(Posted 06th June 2014)
The fallout of Britain’s anti travel advisories against Kenya continues to pile up numbers, as thousands of workers at the Kenya coast have already been laid off and their families fact a very uncertain future, with kids likely to miss schooling, evictions from rented homes looming for lack of rent money and food becoming scarce on the tables of the affected families. The damage inflicted on Kenya’s tourism industry and the workers affected by hotel closures however is now also spreading into the wildlife conservation community as the Northern Rangeland Trust has painted a stark picture of rangers and wardens being laid off for lack of enough cash flow after British tourists were uprooted from their resorts and bundled back on hastily arranged charter flights to take them back home.
Notable has not a single incident taken place, aimed against British or in fact any tourists from any country, since this knee jerk reaction by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and their close buddies in other Western countries, all of which had notably opposed the current government and warned that ‘Choices have Consequences’ in the run up to the March 2013 general and presidential election in Kenya.
Last year did the camps and lodges on the NRT conservancies generate over 50 million Kenya Shillings, 40 percent of which were spent directly on operational expenses like salaries for rangers, wardens and other staff. The remainder of the money was allocated to community projects and services, like supporting schools and health centres, all of which are now staring at an uncertain future as a result of the action taken by the British government.
Community leaders have earlier this week come together to express their fear that a sharply reduced number of visitors will cause a very negative effect, starting from reduced services for those most in need in this part of the country where formal jobs are far and few between, but also voiced their concern that a lack of funds for fuel for vehicles and a reduction in the ranger force will aid and increase in poaching activities.
‘The British High Commissioner’s reaction the other day is what we call ‘SCHEINHEILIG’ in German, I am sure you remember that word, because no matter what he is trying to say now will repair the damage done to Kenya’s reputation abroad or will get food on the table of those thousands of coast hotel staff who have been laid off’ said a regular source from Mombasa, where the anger and frustration continue to fester like a sore in the side of the tourism industry which feels hard done by and used as a punch bag for political issues the British and other Western governments have with Kenya.
‘When the British announce they will send 30 odd troops to Kenya to help train KWS rangers, that is just a drop on a very hot stone, no matter how commendable this is. The fact remains that they have inflicted a lot of damage and hardship on the hotel sector in Mombasa, and they know it and are now desperate to mitigate it away. Our demands stands, lift those anti travel advisories, apologize to Kenya and pay us compensation for the damage our sector suffered’ was the shoutout from another regular coast based source who equated the British over reaction to similar cases when the American Embassy in the past banned their staff from visiting Mombasa over equally obscure ‘security concerns’ which were all quietly rescinded when nothing happened.
Kenya has meanwhile launched a social media offensive with a hash tag campaign #WhyILoveKenya which is now gathering momentum, showcasing Kenya’s tourism attractions like the safari parks – entirely safe for that matter – the country’s beaches and cultural and historical sites, which include the battle fields of World War I in the Taita Taveta area of Kenya where in 1914 and 1915 major action took place between the invading German forces led by Colonel Von Lettow-Vorbek and the allied troops commanded by General Jan Smuts.
Said a source close to the Kenya Tourism Board on condition of anonymity for not being the official spokesperson: ‘We welcome all nationalities of visitors, British, Australian, American, French even if their governments are telling their citizens not to visit Kenya. Our country is fundamentally safe for tourists and the very sad attacks over the past months were all directed against us Kenyans and mostly against local markets and public transport. We think that there was a substantial overreaction in those travel advices but we also respect every country’s right to issue such advice to their own citizens. We also reiterate that prior consultations would have very likely avoided the damage which has been done to our tourism industry but have equally noted that once again those travel advices were issued in total isolation without giving Kenya a chance to make some input first’. Very revealing that was but as mentioned before, the damage is done and the cost of it clearly is rising further and further with no end in sight. Watch this space.
