Terror In Nairobi

Terror in Nairobi

(An account of a terrifying two hours caught up with family in the Westgate Mall Terror attack)

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I live fairly close to the Westgate Shopping Mall and was inside it that fateful Saturday morning, shopping with my wife and son, when these cowards entered. I saw people scampering and I followed suit with my wife and son and rushed to the corner of the Mall and waited there with a bunch of 20 to 30 shoppers. At first we were just standing. Suddenly we heard the sound of automatic gunfire and we all dropped to our knees, and fear set in. Every now and then the gunfire would come from either our right hand side or left hand side and sometimes from above. Then an eerie silence. It was during those numerous silences that we feared the most. Was someone making their way gun in hand to our corner? Would they lob a grenade at us? To see my wife on her knees and my 24 year old son crouching in terror on the floor were the most painful moments of my life as a husband and father. It felt so helpless. Then the unmistakable gunfire commenced again. Silence.And then the gunfire. That went on close to 2 hours. I could not believe all this was happening in the Westgate Mall. This was a upmarket and seemingly safe part of town. This is where UN diplomats, American and European locals and expatriates hobnobbed with the local Kenyans. An oasis of peace, of what looked flashy and by extension safe. But gunfire rattled into my thoughts and cold fear gnawed at my inner self. Fortunately for us, we were escorted us out through a rear door that led from a store to the outside world and freedom But even as we were being trooped out, we saw blood all over the floor. My story pales at the thought of so many others, who have endured much more horrifying experiences. My heart goes out to them.

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So the next day I wrote an open letter to the Al Shabaab. Here is as it appeared (along with the personal experience above) as it appeared in the Kenyan newspaper, 'TheDaily Nation' of Saturday 28th September 2013.

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This is my home. You'll never divide us along religious lines.

I am African, I am Asian, I am European, I am black, brown, white, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist...in short I amKenyan. I have been peaceful and welcoming since the dawn of time and will be till the end of time. Does not look like anyone can dent that, not even you all Shabaab.

You took my kind welcoming nature, walked into my living room and killed innocent mothers and babies and men and women of all walks of life and religious persuasions. You abused my welcome. But my arms are still open wide and will always remain open wide for that is what is etched in the genes of my culture, of what makes me Kenyan. That is where your bullets did not reach. That is why after the massacre, ordinary Kenyans, rich and poor, young and old, black and white, Muslim and Christian and Hindu and others stood in long queues down the length and breadth of this beautiful country of ours to donate blood for others they had never met or may possibly never meet. Simply Kenyan.Simply peaceful.Simply loving.Simply what you are not.

We were raised by mothers, who gave us milk and cakesand lavished love and mercy and taught us to love and cherish all that is good and great in this life. Fathers and uncles and aunties and friends and neighbours and visitors and teachers and others inculcated in us a sense of the eternal beauty and magic of life. So we grow up, marry and raise families and pass those values on. We are happy and will remain so. Sadly your bullets did not reach there. Sadly you were not blessed with any of that. Or if you did have a semblance of the same, it was not strong enough to overcome the convoluted teachings of misguided prophets of doom. The very vacuity of your of your terror is proved by the fact that you fell by the bullets you lived by. You will never instill fear in us. No wonder you need to hold a gun to a defenceless child or woman.

Despite what you tried at Westgate, we got up and went to work. Tourists are patiently looking for leopard in the bush, businessmen are closing deals, children doing their homework, mothers cooking, children playing in the fields, people dancing, shopping, loving, getting married, building, holidaying, writing, thinking, sleeping....life goes on. Kenya goes on. As Kenya always has. As Kenya always will. Your bullets did not reach there. It reached you and you lay six feet under. And we are a thousand feet higher as life goes on. Over 60 of us gave our lives. They are heroes. You are villains. Those you slaughtered  epitomize the success of good over evil.

Instead of instilling fear, you brought us together. You failed. And will always fail. For we will always be welcoming. You will not instill fear. Your bullets will never reach there. That is my home, Kenya. That is where the heart is. That is where the smiles are. That is where there is happiness and radiance. That is our land in the sun. Whatever names you coin, you failed.  Sadly you are dead. We are happy. We are peaceful. And we go on as we always have. Always will. That is where your bullets will never reach.

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