Report from Kenya

It was a surprise to see the item in the March ’06 issue, page 20, stating that the U.S. government continues to ask U.S. citizens in Kenya to “be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in public places” and that “there are increasing incidents of. . . violent crime.”

My wife and I were on a guided trip to Kenya for 16 days in June ’05, part of a group of 10. Our baggage was frequently in semisecure areas, that is, in hotel lobbies without our drivers and in parking lots with our drivers. We were allowed to walk in Nairobi and Mombasa briefly without escort and had no warnings of terror or theft.

We heard of no terror events or any reported thefts. I personally saw no suspicious activity, nor was I approached by anyone except sellers of mementos — who were somewhat persistent but never suspiciously imposing. In fact, one day, when much fatigue prevented me from “properly” bargaining for some carved animals, the seller added an extra animal for the agreed-on price.

All of our group felt secure. No one reported losses or problems.

R.O. BROWN
Casper, WY