Situation in Moyale/Decent Hotel Kenyan Side
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Feb 1, 2012 3:56 AM Last Post By: wizardoftheeast
jump to
Situation in Moyale/Decent Hotel Kenyan Side
Hi,I posted this as an answer originally - but thought it could be of general interest also:
There is a very decent hotel in Kenyan Moyale now - its called Al-Yusra, rooms cost 2500 KSH, its obvious to find, its the only high building in town.
I stayed there in early January for FOUR nights - when the security situation was so bad (tribal clashes up to the outskirts of Moyale, shooting on the roads etc.) that the road between Marsabit and Moyale was blocked and we got stuck there - and I thought when I am stuck I at least want to be safe (which was a good decision, plus the hotel manager is very nice).
That is to say: The situation in Moyale could - probably always - be so or so; I did ask on the Ethiopian side and I did ask the Kenyan immigration; everyone said there was nothing to worry about; basically the unrest must have literally started when I walked over the border. Apart from being stuck this probably sounds worse then it was - I did not particularly feel unsafe; everyone I spoke to also said the tribal fighters would be only interested in other tribal fighters and not in Mzungus - but of course it was not a pleasing atmosphere to be in, six people got killed etc.
So basically everyone who goes this way between Ethiooia and Kenya should take into account that something like that could happen. On the Ethiopian side by the way I went Addis-arba Minch by plane and from there via Konso to Yabelo (public buses Konso-Yabelo operate on Monday and Thursday) which I felt was a good alternative to travel down the usual Addis-Moyale road.
Kenyan Moyale is, by the way, by far not the unpleasant place everyone says - I actually found the people to be very nice and helpful. AND: Crossing the border asap into Kenya coming from Ethiopia makes sense - the bus to Marsabit is pretty quickly booked out; I could not get a ticket for the following day when I arrived - if I would have, I would have not got stuck. But then the security situation worsened and there were no trucks going the following day - and traveling in a truck would not have been my first choice anyway, its hot, dusty and long - although everyone who knows the road between Gondar and Axum will find the one from Moyale into Kenya almost relaxing. So: NO, it is not the worst road in Africa.
Safe travels!
Janet
1
hey... thanks for that post... i was just gonna ask anyway how the situation was... i need to cross from ethiopia into kenya end of feb and got a flight from nairobi that i really can't miss... could you tell me how it is NORMALLY - i heard people saying at the moment there is no transport to nairobi from moyale - is that possible? i mean, not at all any transport? are there buses normally or only trucks? somebody also told me the border was closed sometimes because of the problems there... ? thanks for any info... :)2
Hey Zimtstern,we met in Konso at the Strawberry Lodge briefly (both of us from Berlin - remember, you were about to leave..)
So: Normally there is a daily bus from Moyale to NBO, additionally there is trucks, maybe also one or the other land cruisers. So normally everything is very easy. When I was there there was no bus for two and no trucks for three days, because either the road was closed or the owners of the cars would not let them go for security reasons or both. There were also no shops open (only for minutes or hours sometimes some were), also no mobile network most of the time (some said the government put it down). The border was, as far as I know, still open at all times in both directions. I also met someone from Finland who said the Ethiopian officials said they let him back in if he finds no transport - normally they don't hand out visas but if I understood him right there is a way back to Ethiopia in emergencies (which means that they might let you back in in order to head back to Addis to fly to NBO.)
But if you ask what COULD happen the story is (however likely o unlikely that may be I, I can't tell ): The situation could be back to how it was in early January when you get there - and then, yes, there could be no transport for days - when I asked my hotel manager who was born in Moyale how long he thought this could go on I got a very vague but pretty convincing "I don't think they can do this for a month, maybe not even for a week" as a reply. So: YES if you really have to catch a flight from NBO give yourself enough time to be able to get back to Addis and on a plane to NBO. And keep your Ethiopian SIM Card - there was also no Internet in Moyale when I was there.
If everything goes fine (what it probably normally does): Its a great trip!
The bus to NBO direct from Moyale takes less than 24 hours.
Safe trip.
Janet
3
Does anyone knows the current situation? We are planning to go to Kenya through Moyale by using public transport in the middle of February. Should we change our plans or just go there and find out if the situation is ok?Although I think that during 3 weeks it can change?
(never been in Africa so I'm a little bit concerned)
7
http://allafrica.com/stories/201201290052.htmlIt seems that crossing the border is not possible now.
