Safest place to be during the elections

I have chosen the UK!  Well, thats not the only reason!

The elections are on August 8th.  There is no guarantee that there will be any violence at all.  The post election violence of early 2008 was horrific and the fact that the possibility of violence is often discussed, is a testament to that time, despite the fact that the last election passed off peacefully.

In 2008, it was mostly the poor communities and slums which were affected and wealthier areas were largely untouched by it.  To answer you query, Diani is a mall community some distance from Mombasa and by default is less likely to be affected.  In Nairobi, any of the 'better areas' should be OK.  It could be argued that the best security may be found in the Runda/Gigiri area, where the UN and US Embassy are located.

If you are led to believe that there will be violence and you are concerned, I suggest that you postpone your arrival.

As for your dates;  any violence is likely to flare in the days following the election.   So from the 9th August and probably at least to the end of the month!

Hi Housniy,
There is more preparation this time than past elections. 2013 was peaceful, but if you have doubts, Nairobi is the safest place to be since its cosmopolitan and all security organs are headquartered in Nairobi. As for specific hotels, I would suggest the Westlands area, choose any hotel depending on your budget. Enjoy Nairobi, don't fret :-)

Great info. I know the UN office is in Gigiri so I might look for a safe place around Gigiri/Runda then. I should be fine if I plan to stay there from the 3rd to the end of the month.

Thanks!