Safety in Kenya

Oh, just great, and how i wished to convey such a message to people, who experience things from other's eyes and ears.

I mean, where in world crimes don't happen. that doesn't mean we stop caring. But, that care is not to be termed as fear, inbibed by many in those, who want to explore, but i call it mere precaution.

I came here 3 months ago, and first things, even before landing here, i heard was, threat to me. Guys, threat is there, from pickpocketing, thefts, robberies, and biggest of all militants. But, where i come from, these exists, if not in day, definitely in nights.
The same things i heard for also a forward thinking ( only name makes you feel its orthodoxy) nation like Kazakhstan ( my previous country for an year).

Ofcourse, ppl can't roam so freely as in europe in late evenings and nights, but in cars its safe at most of the places. ( read again, most of the places). Get caught up in remote areas and town area with locals, which are infamous to take everything monetory you have is common across globe. And in countries of africa, its kinda usual.
So point 1 - avoid falling apart frm routine known areas unless you have gathered good info about it.

Next , what i have also heard is life threats. Which is a myth, unless you get attacked by militants, when chances of survival are  next to zero. Other than that , there is no life threat. All you gonna loose is mobile or money or wallet or your very rare incident of clothes ( exaggerated most of the times).

Using cars is best way to move around city, ofcourse heard of incidents of attack on cars, bt mostly for your money, not your life. Those ppl are crazy, so not to panic is first solution, second is to hit gas paddle. make sure cars lock from inside.

well want to write a lot on this point, but prefer to give lead to the next member.

Close it with, Solutions is not worrying and closing yourself in home, visit known areas, avoid being in wrong place at wrong time and take precautions of your belongings.

Btw, just returned from Malindi - Lamu, a place very near to insurgency, and still found it very safe due to KDF and Military police.

Am not ashamed to say Kenya is not safe. Im very well traveled and not all countries you have yo use a car to be safe. Terrorist exceeds  can happen in any town gettho or capital, in the malls or toilets. I have friends you invested a lots in the country they just ended disposing their properties in throw away prices etc.
I don't despite the fact that no where is 100% same but Kenya happen to be one of the unsafest country to be unfortunately. Lots for foreigners but oh well. Hope I have answered your question.

after 2 years in kenya, a healthy number of shootings in front of and around our house, robberies in the immediate neighbourhoods and even murdered guards, I dare say, Kenya is not a safe country - surely not in the larger cities. We did not make such experiences in the country, inland that is. The coastal area is also not what I would call safe in our experience. It starts with "beach boys" that can really be unpleasant and ends with Al-Shabaab. We have had friends car-jacked, 3 times, I had 3 guns in front of my face from police in uniform because I refused to pay a bribe.... coming from Germany, that is certainly an experience! and not a safe country in my terms. I dare say, during the past 2 years, this got worse. Very sorry, Kenya, I wish it was not so!

Kenya isn't half as unsafe as people make it sound. Using common sense at night and in certain areas like Eastleigh. Over all Nairobi is very pleasant. Town, Westlands, Lavington, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga are a few perfectly safe places to take the Matatus and walk around. At night I wouldn't take a matatu after dark though. Nightlife is the same, use common sense, don't wander off drunk by yourself. There's always kids on Electric Avenue and other places asking for change but that has nothing to so with safety.  Don't confuse these things. There is no threat in that. I have been living here for 2 years and I feel safe. There are heards of people going even the shortest distance by car with the windows closed all the time. Don't let those get to you. I found Nakuru, Naivasha equally safe. Nanyuki is a different animal, but voilence there is more often than not due to the presence of the Brittish army base. Different kind of safety you want to keep in mind when going on a road trip into the bundu, preferably go with two
cars if you travel far into less densely inhabited areas. If your car breaks down you cam be really stuck.

I lived in Nairobi for 7 months. I was told form the beggining that Kenya is not safe. You can not go out in the night, do not venture in new areas alone, always travel in a car, and always follow the directions by United Nations agencies. I ventured once on a Sunday to go downtown driving my car. The antenna of the car was stolen while I was driving the car myself and I could not do anything...

Hi,
I read your post.Bit holistic and polished.My take short and brief.Till 2011 it was very safe country in EA.EA were jealous about Kenya.Downhill from that. Expatriate is safe in only gated compounds.Be it malls,office,factory,or residence.Mugging,robbery, very common.Upcountry without a local Kenyan by your side even in a car bit unsafe,like Molo,Kericho,Nandi,Kisii,etc.Murders in upcountry are now becoming common.
No hard feelings towards anybody.Sorry if any body hurt.

Safety is a really important question. Opinions aside, these are the facts for me living in Nairobi over the past 3 years.

In 2 years I had 2 phones stolen and my purse stolen in different incidents on matatus
I get asked at least twice per week for money from street kids with glue bottles stuck to their mouths or adults wanting money. While they are not violent, it is still a feeling of uncertainty about whether I am safe or not, especially when the kids are in a group and they are asking together.
The other day (9th July, 2015) at 11am I was walking home from the gym in Westlands and a tall guy in a hoodie told me he would kill me when I declined his request to give him 10,000ksh. Needless to say he did not, but it was not exactly a 'welcome to Kenya' feeling.
I don't go out at night as I don't have a car and unless I get a taxi I stay home due to safety concerns
At the compound I used to stay at in South B, the security man on the gate was accosted by 2 guys with guns in a car but he managed to figure out how to get rid of them
In my old apartment building in Kileleshwa, within a 4 month period 3 units were robbed, one with people with guns who tied up the tenants and took everything.
Many people I know personally have been robbed at gun point.
Some of my Kenyan friends have friends who have been killed via being poisoned or shot.
Some expats I know that live here are too scared to let their kids have slumber parties at other people's houses or stay overnight because they know too many people who have been broken into, even when they have good security.

My experience is that I never feel like I can completely relax. I feel lucky that so far I have not been personally harmed but I am certainly not going to say that I think Nairobi is safe.

Saying that, there are a lot of really generous people in Kenya who are wonderful so there is no blanket statements  that ring true all the time.

And the next election in Kenya will be another tense time in my view. Corrupt politics using ethnicity to divide the country is alive and well.

Sorry this might not be a tourist advertisement for Kenya. If people come on a tour I think they are largely sheltered from a lot of this so it could be fine.

Amani

Celia

I feel fairly safe in Kenya. There is a higher level of risk here than back home, but it can be mitigated substantially. Yes, you need to be vigilant, but it is well worth it. Kenya is a great country and Nairobi is such a fun city to live in!

You can walk safely during the day in the good parts of town. At night, it is less safe. It is possible to walk through some parts of the city center that are well lit and have a decent number of people walking around, but some areas feel more dangerous. I feel that it is best to take a cab of a company or driver you know to and from your destinations. Public transportation is not recommended at night.

There is a fairly high rate of criminality. You will need to take more precautions than back home, such as having a security guard and living in a walled compound. Do your research to find a good neighborhood to live in. It's also good if you can take some time to view apartments when you get here to make sure they have the necessary safety features.

There is certainly some social unrest and political tension. Make sure to stay on top of the news. There are text alert systems that can notify you where/when there are protests so that you can avoid the area.

Do your research, use common sense, and you will be fine Don't let fear stop you from visiting this great country!

I live on a street where I am the only expat and feel perfectly safe.  To pick up on the points originally raised:

The level of safety:  Kenya is not as safe as many western countries.  You have to take much more personal responsibility for your safety, through careful choice of where you live, where you go, how you get there, for example.  The police in Kenya are poorly paid and poorly resourced.  They are reluctant to investigate more minor crimes without bribes. 

I disagree that expats are only safe in gated communities - it isn't that bad.  I have never lived in a gated community in Kenya and never within expat communities.  I have never been mugged or pickpocketed. 

Walking safely:  It depends upon where you are.  Generally at night it is not advisable to walk on the streets - lighting is often poor and crime levels higher.  Going out at night is fine, as long as you get a transport to and from your venue.  During the day it is usually safe to walk around the better areas of town, but I would recommend paying attention to your surroundings, rather than wandering along listening to music, for example.  When I lived in Nairobi, I regularly walked around Westlands, Kileleshwa, Lavington and the CBD without incident.  Now, I am happy to walk round Thika town centre.  Generally, you should avoid obviously carrying expensive items in public.

In more remote areas, I would take local advice before going for walks.

Criminality/social problems:   As for previous posts, there is a relatively high level of criminality.  Opportunistic petty theft on transport (matatus) is common, but it is debatable whether it is any more common that say, on the London Underground.  Muggings are relatively common and much more likely after dark.  Car jackings are also relatively common and seem to go in cycles, where there is a spate of them, before it goes quiet for a while.  Criminals can also lie in wait at night and rob you at your gate, then gain access to your premises - this is a relatively common planned crime and is relatively easily combated by establishing a varying routine. 

Kenya has a high rate of unemployment and a large gap between 'haves and have nots', which can drive people into crime.  Possibly due to the porous border with Somalia, criminals are commonly armed with guns. 

From time to time there are social tensions between the different ethnic groups.......an unfortunate overhang from the days of British rule.  Politicians appear quite keen to exploit these and so tensions tend to increase as election time approaches.  This spilled over in 2007/2008 and this has resulted in many forecasting 'trouble' at election time, despite the last (an most other) elections being relatively trouble free.

To pick up on a couple of points from the posts above:

I disagree that Kenya was safe prior to 2011.  It was far less safe in Moi's era.

If the police stop you and demand a bribe, tread carefully as you can easily be arrested.  Its no good acting indignantly and saying 'this doesn't happen in my country'..........it isn't your country!!

If there are shootings and robberies in your immediate locality, then move!  I have lived in several areas in Nairobi and Thika and can attest that there are areas where this sort of thing tends not to happen, but then I wouldn't live somewhere like South B.

Theft of mobiles and purses can and does happen absolutely anywhere.

Terrorism;  In my lifetime, there have been far more bombings in the UK than in Kenya.  I think that you would have to be unfortunate indeed to be 'at that place at that time'.

I think that the UN overemphasise the risks, to their staff, leading to false perceptions, while the organisation covers its own back.