U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United. Outbreaks of Rift Valley fever, cholera, and malaria have occurred in Kenya. During periods when police are occupied with civil unrest related to political tensions, there may be an increase in street crime and banditry. Visitors have found it safer not to carry valuables, but to store them in hotel safety deposit boxes or safe rooms. There have been reports of thieves snatching jewelry and other objects from open vehicle windows while motorists are either stopped at a traffic light or in heavy traffic.
Armed carjackings are common in Nairobi, with some ten vehicles stolen by armed robbers each day.
There is also a high incidence of residential break-ins. Thieves and con artists have been known to impersonate hotel employees, police officers or government officials. Tourists who accept candy, biscuits, or juice from new acquaintances on intercity buses have been robbed after being drugged by food laced with sedatives. Such incidents also occur occasionally on the Nairobi-Mombasa Road, particularly after dark. Air travel is the safest means of transportation when visiting any of the coastal resorts north of Malindi.