Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 12, 1990 TAG: 9007120197
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Herbert said Wednesday that the trip, which has been planned for several months, is still on, but another meeting will be held next week to review the situation and make a final decision.
The State Department this week advised U.S. citizens to delay all non-essential travel to Kenya because of the unrest.
Taylor and Herbert will make the trip with nine other people from the Roanoke Valley, including representatives of the Mill Mountain Zoo. The group is scheduled to depart July 21.
Part of the delegation will be official guests of Kisumu, a city about 165 miles from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Several Kisumu officials have visited Roanoke in recent years.
Private funds have been raised to pay the expenses for Taylor, Herbert and Evie Gunter, a city planner, who will make the trip on behalf of the city. No tax money will be used to finance their travel, according to Michelle Bono, city public information officer. The other people making the trip will pay their costs.
Herbert said he has been in contact with the State Department and Rep. Jim Olin's office and has been told that conditions seem to be returning to normal in Kenya.
Herbert said the airplane tickets were bought ahead of time and won't be refunded if Pam Am is flying into Nairobi.
Stone-throwing mobs have battled police in rural areas near Nairobi this week, and President Daniel arap Moi blamed the anti-government riots on "hooligans and drug addicts." Eighteen have died in four days of violence.
The violence followed last week's detentions of Kenya's most prominent supporters of political pluralism.
by CNB