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Adventure Alternatives

The Expedition, Trek, Safari and Gap company. Professional, ethical adventure holidays around the world

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A Guide to Kenya

Adventures to Kenya have formed the backbone of Adventure Alternative's expeditions for the past 10 years. We have a very large and comprehensive set-up in Kenya. Safari vehicles, trucks, stores of camping and safari equipment, an office, many full time staff, a huge network of helpers and fifteen years of experience.

Gavin Bate, AA Director, has been working and living in East Africa for most of his life. He has a house in Nairobi.

Country stats

Population: 32 m
Standard of living rating: 146, on par with Zimbabwe and Uganda
Transparency rating 122, on par with Indonesia
Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 7%
Number of people killed by natural disasters (2001): 147
Capital: Nairobi
Official language: English
Currency: Kenyan shilling

Government travel warnings

Both the US State Department and the British Foreign Office maintain their travel warning to particular Eastern African countries. They are to be vigilant in areas frequented by foreigners such as hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and shopping malls.

Entering the country

Most visitors from the West need a visa to enter Kenya. Passports should also be valid for at least three months beyond the date of the end of your visit.

Air travel

Nairobi (NBO) (Jomo Kenyatta International) is 16km southeast of the city (journey time approximately 40 minutes). Mombasa (MBA) (Moi International) is 13km west of the city (journey time approximately 20 minutes).

Immigration procedures in Kenyan airports are likely to be extremely slow, so it is advisable to arrive early. There is an airport departure tax of US$40 that is normally included in the price of airline tickets.

Kenyan authorities increased security in and around the country's airports with appropriate airport surveillance and security cover. Appropriate surveillance measures were also put in place to protect the flight path of both inbound and outbound aircraft.

Getting around

Traffic drives on the left. All major roads are paved and many of the others have been improved, particularly in the southwest.

Health advisory

Malaria is the major cause of deaths in Kenya ahead of HIV/Aids according to latest Health Ministry figures. Its occurence is endemic, although there is usually less risk in Nairobi and in the highlands (above 2500m). Visitors are advised to take the appropriate measures to lower the risk against contracting malaria before travelling.

HIV/Aids is widespread and transmission may also occur through sub-standard medical facilities; it is advisable to take a kit of sterilised syringe needles for any possible injections needed, as well as drip needles for emergencies. There are good medical facilities in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Water is of variable quality and visitors are advised to use bottled water wherever possible.

Politics

Overview - After 24 years of what many see as having been a tyrannical rule, former president Daniel arap Moi stepped down to make way for opposition leader Mwai Kibaki on 28 December 2002. Moi was seen as one of the last of the old-style African leaders; a ruler with an iron and sometimes-cruel fist.

Kibaki, Kenya's third president, vowed to streamline government and fight corruption. International observers called the election free, fair and transparent; a good start for a country that needs much restructuring. Although it is too early to tell which way the economic power house of East Africa will go; for now, it is looking up.

With this new administration we should see revived concentration on corruption, terrorism and general crime, and probably better living conditions for citizens. It should be kept in mind, however, that Kenya is thought to harbour terrorist cells and it may be many years before Kenya can begin to resolve her problems.

Economy

Although Kenya could be the engine of growth in East Africa, the country's economy is currently still mostly based on agriculture; 75 percent of the population work on the land, contributing around 30 percent of national output.
Nevertheless, Kenya has one of Africa's largest manufacturing sectors. In the service sector, tourism is the largest industry and the country's principal source of foreign exchange.

An IMF-imposed Structural Adjustment Programme in the late 1990s brought in large-scale, long-term financial assistance. Kenya's debilitating rate of population growth imposes major strains on the economy, as well as threatening social stability.

Approximately one million citizens are estimated to be HIV positive, a situation that will increase the ratio of dependants and thereby place additional burdens on the fabric of society. Pressures on land, rapid urbanisation and the paucity of employment opportunities also represent formidable long-term risk factors for which no solutions are in sight.

The UK is Kenya's major trading partner, followed by Germany, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

Corruption

The Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index for 2003 ranked Kenya 122nd, on par with Indonesia, out of 133 countries assessed for the index.

In 1997, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other Western donors suspended $500 million in aid to Kenya because of official corruption. Many steps were taken to clean up the government but even in 2003 corrupt senior officials still were in charge, if not still influential. But a few weeks after President Kibaki was sworn into office on 30 December 2002, senior civil servants and heads of state corporations began to be fired - regardless of upsetting Kibaki's coalition partners who expected to share in his victory.

However, worries have recently been growing that Kibaki, in poor health, has enough mettle in the government and so has little power to change the culture of embezzlement, bribery and tribal favouritism in Kenyan public life. After he came to power a survey for Transparency International found that Kenyans were being asked for bribes in 40 percent of their encounters with officialdom, down from 65 percent under former President Moi.

A number of aid groups announced they would resume funding but it has become clear that much public money continues to be siphoned off through dodgy procurement contracts. Official corruption in Kenya is still very much a question on donorís lips despite the reforms implemented by Kibaki.

Our Kenyan staff

In Kenya our experienced staff are our best asset ... they have an intimate knowledge of their country and have many years experience in the tourism industry. For fuller biographies please visit our staff profiles pages.
As part of our commitment to put something back into local communties we employ former streetchildren from Nairobi who were supported by associated charity Moving Mountains.
August 2004 saw a very proud moment for this scheme when Kelly Kioko summited Kilimanjaro with Adventure Alternative Director Gavin Bate to raise money for Moving Mountains.