How will kilifi attack by gunmen on French National spell doom for Kenya?
Gunmen have kidnapped an Italian voluntary worker and wounded five others, including young children, as they opened fire in Kenya’s southeast coastal region of Kilifi, police said.
The unidentified attackers, armed with assault rifles, fired indiscriminately at residents at about 8pm local time on Tuesday in the Chakama trading centre in Kilifi county, about 80km west of Malindi town.
The US State Department announced recently that it is scrapping its travel warnings for specific countries, instead launching a four-level “travel advisory programme.”
Kenya is placed in the second tier under the new system. When visiting countries in that grouping, US citizens are urged to “exercise increased caution
Kenya’s economy is likely to expand by 6.2 percent this year, the central bank’s governor said on July, offering a rosier outlook than the Finance Ministry which expects growth of 5.8 percent.
“We have a very favourable outlook for the economy,” he said, adding however there were risks including an international trade war and a cap on commercial lending rates at home.
But even before this words had sank , attacks have been launched on the Kenyan soil targeting foreigners by suspected military group Al Shabab.
The most audacious al-Shabab raid was on Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi in September 2013, when 62 civilians from 13 countries were among the 67 who died in a four-day siege.
However the storming of Garissa University College by militants was the worst attack on Kenyan soil since the 1998 US embassy bombing by al-Qaeda – 147 people have died and 79 have been wounded, some critically.
Al-Shabab says it has been at war with Kenya ever since Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October 2011 in an effort to crush the militants.The government wanted to stop the militants from crossing the long, porous border between the two countries and kidnapping people – which was affecting tourism.
But the move provoked al-Shabab, which says Kenyan civilians are legitimate targets because they voted for the government that declared war on the group.
Tourism provides a major source of income into the Kenyan economy. 11% of paid employment comes from tourism. In Mombasa, hotels have even forbidden public access to the beaches to secure them for international tourists who frequent the sunny beaches.
According to data released by the ministry , Africa was the second largest source of tourists to Kenya in 2017 at 29 per cent behind Europe at 36 per cent. The US was third at 15 per cent.
If the US and United Kingdom give travel warnings amid the attack by militants against Kenya , then this will greatly affect the countries economy by far.
The inaugural direct flight between Kenya and the United States was launched just a few weeks ago , but the vibe around it has warmed US travelers who, according to the New York Times, have made Kenya a hot-ticket destination rivaling Mexico, Italy and Europe, generally.
The paper, quoting travel agents, said bookings for December to Kenya were up by about 28 per cent from last year’s with one arranger saying it had placed Sh800 million worth of business to Kenya.
That will translate to higher bed occupancy for hotels, more direct jobs and business for suppliers.
Non-stop flights between Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and John F Kennedy International Airport in New York will be launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on October 28.
Travelport, an agency, reported a 28.8 per cent increase for December bookings to Kenya, compared to last year, while ForwardKeys reported a 27.2 per cent increase in bookings from last month to the end of the year, the paper said.
Can kenya secure the coast more efficiently?