British investors in Kenya were bolstering their security arrangements and revising contingency plans to withdraw staff yesterday if post-election violence in the country escalates.

Standard Chartered, one of the biggest British employers in Kenya, with 1,050 staff at 28 sites, said that it had been forced to shut branches in areas affected by violence and insisted that it was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of its employees.

“We will take whatever action is necessary,” a spokesman said. “Branches in areas where tensions are high remain closed until further notice. We will continue to closely monitor the situation on the ground.”

The company said that contingency plans existed to remove expatriate staff from the area if the situation deteriorated, as was necessary from the group’s operations in Lebanon in 2006.

The tribalism that colours Kenyan life

The eruption of violence following Kenya's elections has brought to the fore the latent tribalism present in every day life

Multimedia

• Video comment: Richard Dowden, Africa expert

• Video: violence in Nairobi

Multimedia

• Pictures: Kenyan elections protests

BACKGROUND

• FCO issues Kenya travel warning

• 50 die in blazing church as tribal war looms

• ‘We’ve spent three days hiding in our homes’

• British tourists told to stay indoors

Related Links

• The Kenyan economy: key facts

• Kenya teeters on the brink

With investments worth about £1.5 billion, Britain is the biggest overseas investor in Kenya, which has been convulsed by violence in which at least 300 people have died after a disputed election. It is also an important trading partner. Kenyan exports to Britain, such as tea, flowers, fruit and coffee, were worth about £256 million in 2006. British exports to Kenya were worth about £215 million.

Cadbury Schweppes, which operates offices and a factory in Nairobi producing Dairy Milk bars and drinking chocolate for the East African market, also said that it had stepped up security and was monitoring events carefully.

“Clearly, we will keep the situation under review over the next few days as the safety of our people is our priority,” a spokeswoman said, adding that the group would withdraw staff if necessary. She said that both the factory and offices, which employ about 100 people, were still closed for the holiday season.

Barclays, Britain’s biggest employer in Kenya with more than 1,800 staff, said that many of its branches were closed but were operating where possible. Unilever, the consumer goods giant, employs more than 800 people in Kenya, most at a plantation in the country’s northwest supplying tea for its Liptons and PG Tips brands. It said that it was monitoring events closely and was reviewing security. PZ Cussons, the owner of the Imperial Leather brand, has 370 Kenyan staff and operates a soap factory and a head office in Nairobi. It said that it was “mindful” of the security situation and was monitoring events carefully. It also said it had a contingency plan to remove staff if necessary.

Other British companies in Kenya include Shell, with 370 employees, Vodafone, the mobile phone group, GlaxoSmithKline, the drugs company, and De La Rue, the banknote printer.

The British Government is advising UK nationals in Kenya to stay indoors and to avoid all but essential travel to a range of areas, including central Nairobi and parts of Mombasa. About 70,000 people have been displaced by the violence, including 5,400 who have fled to neighbouring Uganda, amid fears that political unrest in what has been one of Africa’s most stable democracies could spill over into ethnic conflict.

Up to 50 people from the Kikuyu tribe were killed on Tuesday after taking shelter in a church in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive