Travel warnings are bad for business

Spectator, The, Jun 7, 2003 by Musyoka, Stephen Kalonzo

Slowly but surely a network of government-issued 'travel advisories' is systematically shutting down the world. Often, where these are applied travel-insurance plans are invalidated.

What is to be done? In the case of Kenya, we believe that we have done all we can. We have collaborated intimately with the British and US security and intelligence services to maximise our own efforts and have flung huge security corridors round our airports. We have heightened security measures in numerous ways across the country. And we have poured resources into our counter-terrorism efforts. What more would you like us to do?

It seems to me that it is time to review the 'travel advisory' machinery. I sympathise with my counterpart Jack Straw. If he were to remove the warnings, he would be held responsible if anything were to happen in Kenya or elsewhere. So his disincentive to do so is massive. Yet we all know that he is acting on intelligence advice that cannot be published. Intelligence services are, by their very nature, secretive, unaccountable and cautious. Perhaps an international, independent, non-political risk-assessment machinery is now needed.

Meanwhile, we in Kenya are paying a hugely increased security bill to protect British aircraft that are not even landing at our airports. It does not make sense.

If the world is increasingly acknowledging that international terrorism is a threat in any place and at any time, then it is a gross injustice that there is one rule for Heathrow airport and another for Jomo Kenyatta International. Did some anonymous caller remove the threat to Heathrow? I doubt it, yet the tanks went home. Come and put your tanks on our lawns if you must. They are welcome to them. But don't bankrupt one of your oldest friends in Africa. And let's all work together to get the ban lifted.

Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka is foreign and international affairs minister of Kenya.