Africa-Press – Kenya. US ambassador to Kenya Margaret Whitman has downplayed recent advisory on Kisumu saying it was routine.
She said the alert on Kisumu does not reflect US views on the outcome of the election.
“We don’t have anything information that you don’t have about any dangers in Kisumu. My top priority is the safety of our personnel and US citizens in Kenya,” she said.
Whitman was speaking on Sunday during a press conference.
“We have many people who work in Kisumu and we appreciate the hospitality, we issued a routine security alert,” she said.
The advisory issued on Tuesday raised concerns that the US could have had intelligence of an impending security threat in the lakeside city.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy has imposed movement restrictions on personnel in Kisumu. The State Department reminds US citizens of the continued need for sustained vigilance,” reads the statement.
The US embassy urged its citizens to monitor local media for updates, avoid crowds and demonstrations as well as be aware of their surroundings.
The US government later defended its decision to issue a security alert to its citizens in Kenya against visiting Kisumu during elections.
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi said alerts of this nature to American citizens are common ahead of elections throughout the world.
“The United States has no information to suggest the security situation in Kisumu, or in any other parts of Kenya, have been adversely affected by election preparations,” Embassy spokesperson said.
The embassy noted that Kisumu hosts a significant number of U.S. Embassy personnel and is a frequent travel destination for American citizens.
For More News And Analysis About Kenya Follow Africa-Press
