LOGISTICS
Wednesday, May 20 Update
Civil unrest in Kenya
By now, most of you will know that Kenya — and Nairobi in particular — has seen civil unrest in recent days, driven by deeply felt concerns about rising fuel prices and the cost of living. We want to acknowledge that the frustrations behind these protests are real and understandable, and our thoughts are with those affected.
We are still planning to go ahead with the convening. For the most part, our programme is contained to The Tribe Hotel, which means we will not be moving around the city a great deal. The Tribe is in an area (Gigiri) that has not been impacted by protests. The one exception to our programme is the 28th, and we will review the situation carefully as that date approaches.
BBC News Africa announced yesterday that civil society plans to pause the protests for the next couple of weeks, which further supports a decision to move ahead with the convening as planned.
We want to be clear that each of you is responsible for your own travel decisions, and we encourage you to weigh your personal health and safety considerations accordingly. We would not want anyone to feel under any pressure, especially people living locally, to travel through unsafe districts to reach us. That said, it would be genuinely helpful for us to hear — particularly from local attendees joining us on 25 May for the Food and Agriculture Day — if the current situation means you do not intend to join us. Knowing this will allow us to think carefully about next steps for that day. Please do let us know as soon as possible if that is the case.
The Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda
We are also keeping a close watching brief on the Ebola outbreak, with (at time of writing) the majority of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and two cases Uganda. This is a serious public health situation, and one that is not lost on us given the nature of the work so many in our group are engaged in.
At this time, we do not believe the outbreak poses a significant risk to our convening. However, you should expect heightened vigilance at borders, particularly if you are travelling from or through countries that border DRC and/or Uganda. We understand the US has also put in some border screening. Please factor this into your travel planning and allow additional time where needed.
Wishing you health,
Project Dandelion Team
ARRIVALS
International Attendees
If you have committed to joining the pre-conference on May 25, please ensure you arrive to Tribe Hotel on the evening of May 24. If you are unable to attend the pre-conference, please arrive the evening of May 25. If your travel allows, we invite you to join us at The River Cafe at 6PM on May 25 to open the main conference.
Participants are responsible for their transportation to and from the airport. Ubers are available from the airport to The Tribe Hotel, and should take less than 20 minutes door to door.
If you would like to book the hotel transportation:
Hotel Direct Line: +254 730 886000
Reservations Line (available on WhatsApp): +254 113 425 163
Transport Coordinator: +254 790 894 368
Local Attendees
If you have committed to joining the pre-conference on May 25, please ensure you arrive to Tribe Hotel by 9AM on May 25. If you are unable to attend the pre-conference, we invite you to join us at The River Cafe at 6PM on May 25 to open the main conference.
DEPARTURES
International Attendees
Please plan to depart May 28 in the afternoon. Conference sessions end on the evening of May 27, but there are optional place-based journeys organized for the morning of May 28. Please review the agenda and follow the instructions if you would like to participate in a journey.
Local Attendees
Conference sessions end on the evening of May 27, but there are optional place-based journeys organized for the morning of May 28. Please review the agenda and follow the instructions if you would like to participate in a journey.
All meals are covered by Project Dandelion. Unless specified in the agenda, all meals will take place at The Tribe Hotel.
Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the airport. Ubers are available and should take ~20 minutes from the airport to The Tribe Hotel.
For the opening dinner on May 25, Project Dandelion will coordinate transportation to The River Cafe, departing The Tribe Hotel at 5:30PM, and a return transportation to The Tribe Hotel, departing The River Cafe at 9PM. You are welcome to arrange your own transport back if you would like to leave at a different time.
For the place-based journeys on May 28, transportation will be provided at a minimal fee, which is built into the journey cost. Please review the agenda for the journey offerings.
ON THE GROUND LOGISTICS
Brittany Collins
Laura Cook