In a notice late on Friday, November 6, the UK government warned that insurance cover for citizens who travel to the area could be invalidated even as insecurity along the Ethiopia border prompts fresh restrictions.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) added Moyale Town, about 776 kilometers from Nairobi, to its list of areas where British nationals should avoid travel.
“Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO),” the British government warned.
The other areas the UK has warned about include those bordering Somalia, such as Mandera, El Wak, Garissa, and parts of Lamu County.
The latest advisory follows escalating violence in neighbouring Ethiopia, where fighting between forces from the Oromia and Somali regions has displaced thousands of people and disrupted activities along the shared border.
According to the Kenya Red Cross, more than 50,000 people have crossed into Kenya to escape the fighting.
The violence has also forced Kenyan families living near the border to relocate after stray bullets and rocket-propelled grenades landed on the Kenyan side.
So far, two women, one Kenyan and another Ethiopian, have died after being hit by stray bullets, while several other people have sustained injuries, according to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
Reports from the area indicate the fighting has left Moyale residents suffering shortages of commodities and also facing electricity cuts.
Prices of basic commodities, including rice, cooking oil and milk, have almost doubled.
Reporting by Daily Nation on Saturday, November 7, indicated that the fighting has also prompted mass migration to Nairobi, with about 10 62-seater buses leaving the area daily.
Kanja, who visited Moyale on November 5, assured residents that the government was strengthening security along the border and deploying additional personnel to protect communities.
“A lot of effort is being put into ensuring the conflict among our neighbours is resolved. This will also facilitate the movement of Kenyans who are stranded across the border,” Kanja said.
He added that the government was engaging Ethiopian authorities to help resolve the conflict.
source:Citizen TV
