The great reporter and writer Ryszard Kapuscinsky, one of the greatest connoisseurs of the Africa universe, used to say that it is only by convention that we speak of this continent as a single entity, because in the end "Africa does not exist," being a collection of many different microcosms that make up a reality that often only we Westerners see as unique.

This premise is useful to remind the many tourists (and travelers, we would like to specify the distinction between the two nouns) who are about to fly to Kenya, that the security situation is currently under control and the alleged "dangers" in the country are related to incidents that do not occur in areas far from the routes frequented and beaten by tourism.

Not only that, the latest communiqué from our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina) on the travel safe website is dated July 24 and still warns of demonstrations in Nairobi and other Kenyan cities organized by the opposition that, in the eleven weeks since they were taken to the streets last April, have left some 20 people dead and more than 300 injured, with violent clashes especially in outlying neighborhoods and opposition strongholds on Lake Victoria.
Since that statement ("The Leader of the Opposition Party continues to organize demonstrations and has announced protest rallies on a weekly basis in Nairobi and several cities in the country. Compatriots, residents and visitors alike, are advised to pay close attention, to follow events in the official media, and to avoid gatherings and demonstrations of any kind, as well as crowded places.") there was a meeting between the two factions that resulted in a suspension of the protests and the opening of a negotiating table to jointly resolve the tensions arising from the economic crisis.
Issues, however, that never directly affected foreigners, neither tourists nor residents living in Kenya.
For the rest, the recommendations are those that now, after the very famous September 11, 2001, apply somewhat to all countries in the world, especially those that have relations with the United States and the West.

In this regard, let us remind those who write to us about "terrorist attacks" that the situation concerns the areas bordering Somalia, far away from tourist destinations, and has been going on for 30 years now, that is, since Somalia has been under the thrall of the so-called "Islamic courts."

The Muslim communities on Kenya's coast have always described themselves as moderate, and even in the case of the latest attacks, which moreover targeted members of their rural communities, they have strongly condemned the attacks by the jihadist group "al-Shabaab."

All of this is not to say that one should travel to Kenya "lightly," because nowhere else can do so anymore, but that major distinctions must be made, because Africa is not all the same, and the situation in the Sahel (Niger, Mali, Sudan) is quite different from that of states that are defined by world opinion, as "peace bearings" within very complicated political and social situations. Kenya is one of the virtuous examples of this and for those very reasons it is frequented by world tourism, as is Tanzania, for very many years and only for a brief period in 2008, after a highly contested election round, and during the pandemic (of course) was little visited.

Kenya is a country to be experienced with awareness and certainly needs a non-superficial approach, as is increasingly difficult to find in today's inquirers. But the tourist, if he or she wants to become a true traveler and enjoy an intelligent, as well as a fulfilling, vacation, must evaluate well the information and the sources from which it comes.
Karibu Kenya, safari njema!
(Welcome to Kenya, enjoy your trip!)