Embassy warns Americans on Kenya visits

The U.S. Embassy issued a strong warning Wednesday to Americans considering a visit to Kenya, saying violent crime was increasing and that Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to prevent it.

The travel advisory comes on the heels of several high-profile carjackings. A regional director for the aid agency CARE was killed on Jan. 26, two American women related to a U.S. Embassy employee were killed on Jan. 27, while a top Kenyan AIDS researcher was killed Feb. 4 and an American woman traveling with him was shot in the face.

"Violent criminal attacks, including armed carjacking and home invasions/burglary, can occur at any time and in any location, and are becoming increasingly frequent," the U.S. Embassy statement said. "Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to deter and investigate such acts."

The United States has maintained a travel advisory for Kenya for years, but in the past the main concern has been terrorism. Al-Qaida terrorists have twice attacked Kenya in 1998 and 2002.

Kenyan officials frequently complain about the U.S. travel advisory, which they say hurts the country's tourism industry, one of the East African nation's largest moneymakers. Kenyan officials were not immediately available for comment.

Kenyan citizens are by far the most frequent victims of violent crime. Three other Kenyans were killed by the same gang that killed the AIDS researcher on Feb. 4. Kenya's police commissioner, Hussein Ali, has claimed that violent crime has dropped in recent years, but few outside the government believe the statistics are accurate.