Kenya, Nairobi . (News Of The South) – A year ago the Westgate massacre shocked many across the world as shoppers were attacked on Saturday morning, 67 people died.
Sunday saw thousands of mourners gather in Kenya’s capital for emotional commemorations marking a year since Somali Islamist gunmen attacked Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall.
Al Shebab`s reclusive leader and mastermind of the Westgate attack was killed a week ago and Kenya has every reason to be on high alert during this anniversary.
In Nairobi’s Karura forest, close to 2,500 people — many of them survivors or bereaved families — were holding inter-faith prayers and a memorial procession. A plaque bearing the names of the victims will also be unveiled.
“My life is completely shattered, it’s been very hard to cope,” said 62-year-old Amul Shah, whose son was among those cut down when a small group of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters walked into the upmarket mall, tossing grenades and raking shoppers and staff with machine gun fire.
Many will remember that when the Westgate mall attack took place, a group of children were taking part in a cooking competition on the mall’s rooftop .
During the scuffle and as people hurried for safety grown up people were climbing on small children while making their escape instead of assisting the little ones.
Some who witnessed this decided to assist the children to safety.
The four gunmen who were involved in the attack all died in the mall, their bodies burned and crushed by tonnes of rubble after a section of the complex collapsed following a fierce blaze started by the fighting.
The names of the four as Hassan Abdi Mohamed Dhuhulow, a Norwegian national of Somali origin, Somali national Mohamed Abdi Nur Said, and Ahmed Hassan Abukar and Yahye Osman Ahmed, both Somali refugees. The four were all aged between 19 and 23.
During the period the attack took place several members of the Kenyan security forces were busy looting from the abandoned shops and some got arrested.
Kenyan police chief David Kimaiyo on Saturday said security force were on high alert for the anniversary.
“We are prepared in case of anything. Specialised units are on the ground and we have intensified patrols during this period of the anniversary,” Kimaiyo said.
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