Kenya Placed Under Second-Tier in New US Travel Advisory System

The United States State Department has unveiled a new four-level travel advisory program to replace the earlier system where it issued travel warnings for individuals countries.

In the new program, Kenya has placed in the second level, where US advises citizens visiting countries in this category to “exercise increased caution.”

The new ranking is likely to be a boost to country's tourism sector, which has in the past been affected by America's warning on its nationals against travel to Kenya. US has been ranked as the highest source of tourists to Kenya.

Explaining the new US system, State Department official Michelle Bernier-Toth said that “over the years, we’ve come to recognize that sometimes our various documents were not readily understood.”

“We also needed to make sure that the information was more easily understood, putting it into plain language, making it clearer why we were ranking countries, why we were citing them as a threat or a risk.”

"Advisories are based on information from intelligence agencies, US embassies and host countries' governments,"she added.

In the new system, US warns citizens against traveling to the “Kenya-Somalia border and some coastal areas due to terrorism.”

These areas include Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River and Lamu counties. It is also tells citizens to “reconsider travel to Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh at all times and Old Town in Mombasa at night due to crime.”

“Consider carefully whether to use the Likoni ferry in Mombasa due to safety concerns,” the advisory adds.

Somalia, South Sudan, Mali, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen are ranked in level-four, where US tells Citizens " Do not Travel."

Rwanda is the only East African country placed under level-one rating, under which US citizens are advises to “exercise normal precautions.”